Fiends
by FadingRain03
Summary: I held Sakura close, my arms wrapped around her waist as I whispered in her ear over and over. "I love you...I love you." I chanted those words as if they'd save us both from the darkness twisting inside us. She had to know, as she drowned in the memories of the spirit possessing her, that she wasn't alone. She wasn't abandoned. She may not have known it, but I was always there...
1. Chapter 1

**Fiends: Chapter One**

My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I'm a member of the FCA, The Fiend Control Agency.

I know, sounds lame right? Well, it is more often than not. You see, monsters are real. To be more specific would take too long. There are a lot of creepy crawly creatures roaming the earth and the human race is usually the food staple for said creepy crawlies. Or rather more often, the meaty punching bags for the fiends that get pissed off enough to come out of hiding. Humans, on a whole, don't know of the danger that surrounds them and it's the FCA agents' job to keep it that way. To be honest, it's a battle we are slowly but surely losing. But I shouldn't complain. We save lives more than we take them. At least, I hope that's the case.

I grinned widely as I placed my certificate of graduation on the wall just above my bed. It read; Naruto Uzumaki, class of 2013, Team 7. The gold leaf emblem of the FCA shined brightly underneath my name. A normal, everyday person would have no idea what the certificate meant. It didn't look impressive. It was plain really, but to a FCA agent it meant the whole damn world. I was finally free to start going out into the field with my two team mates. Every agent has to go through years of training before their allowed out into the real world to face the even more real monsters. For me, this was the end of my torturous and excessively awkward school days and the beginning of my long awaited life of being a hero. I would save lives, kill evil badass monsters and, of course, I'd get the girl like every hero does.

"Naruto, come on! We're going to miss our train," speaking of the girl, Sakura Haruno, my teammate, yelled from downstairs. She is the girl of my dreams and guess what: now that we're both graduated agents, we get to live in the same house. Yes, this was the life of a hero. "Naruto! Sasuke is already leaving without us!"

And then there was Sasuke Uchiha, my other teammate. Before I start off on a rage-fueled rant, I'll say this simply; I hate him.

I huffed and called down to Sakura, "I'm coming!" I snatched my duffle bag off my bed and trudged downstairs. Sakura was standing at the front door, arms folded across her chest with her right foot tapping the hard wood floor aggressively. Yep. Someone was having a rough morning. "You look great in the morning, Sakura." I said a bit too nervously with a grin. "I don't know how you do it."

She sighed deeply and replied, "Shut it. Let's go before Sasuke sprouts wings from sheer force of will and flies away."

Compliments never work on her. I gave her a crooked, apologetic smile and walked past her. Without her even saying so, I grabbed her two bags and shuffled towards the taxi waiting outside. I could hear her behind me sigh again. That wasn't one of Sakura's you're-annoying-as-hell sighs. It was her you're-sort-of-endearing sighs. Was it creepy that I could interpret so much from such a small thing? Maybe. Maybe not.

I tossed the luggage in the trunk and opened the front passenger door for Sakura. She looked at me with squinted eyes and, again, sighed and plopped into the seat. She wasn't a morning person by any means. I carefully closed the door and went to the back seat to be greeted by the unimpressed gaze of Sasuke Uchiha. He looked even more uptight than usual. His black raven hair was clean cut, bangs pulled back for the first time I'd ever seen. He wore a suit, equally black as his hair and eyes, even more so clean. He even sported a dark, navy blue tie and shiny, polished shoes.

"Well, don't you look professional," I chuckled, sat down with a meaty thud on the hard, slightly uncomfortable seat and closed the door.

"One of us has to," Sasuke replied dryly as he eyes gave me a quick, uninspired glance.

Ok, so gray sweat pants, my favorite orange shirt and a pair of white sneakers don't look professional. Hmp, so sue me.

"I pull off the lazy look way better than the stick-up-my-royal-ass look, trust me," I retorted with an enthusiastic grin. "And besides, this job requires that we're actually capable of moving. You're fancy suit looks more restricting than my comfy pants. But hey, if we need a lawyer/angry funeral home attendant, I'll give you a heads up."

Sasuke replied with one of his usual death glares and then turned to look out the window as the taxi began rolling down the road towards the train station. I felt like I won that argument. At least, a little bit. I caught a glimpse of Sakura looking at us through the review mirror with an accusing frown pointed at little old me of course. And I was having such a good morning.

It was my turn to sigh as the first leg of our journey began. Fifteen minutes later we were at the train station with three one-way tickets to a village down south far from the FCA headquarters. When we finally settled down in our private booth and had all our bags tucked away under our seats, Sakura pulled out the file that contained the details of our first real mission. She sat across Sasuke and I as she opened the folder to read through several pages of data. The more she read, the more her face revealed a stronger expression of stress.

"Of course they give us the most annoying mission they could find," she began after reading everything. "Don't they give the easier jobs to the new agents? I mean we did just graduate last night."

"There's no such thing as an easy job. A job is a job," Sasuke answered with little patience as he reached out to take the folder from Sakura.

"What's our first job?" I asked, trying my best to ignore Sasuke.

"Just read the file yourself when Sasuke's done," Sakura scoffed.

"But that'll take forever," I grumbled.

"We have to hunt down a Kappa," Sasuke began as he leaned back into his seat. Well, someone reads fast. "I'm not waiting for the loser to read this." He tossed the folder on the empty seat next to Sakura. "We'll be here for weeks before he can actually participate in the mission."

"What was that, you pompous, tie-wearing ass?" I asked loudly as I shot to my feet. Screw his fast reading skills. I'm going to punch him till he chokes on those words.

"Focus," Sakura snapped, grabbed my arm and slammed me back down into my seat. "This Kappa, from what the file says, has gone full rogue and is extremely dangerous. The body count is five this month and rising from what the HQ can tell."

I sneered at Sasuke, folded my arms and admitted defeat. Not to him, of course. To Sakura. I shoved my anger down hard and said, "Kappa live in rivers and usually keep to themselves right? Maybe drown one or two people a few hundred years. What's got this one's panties in a bunch?"

"The village right next to the Kappa's river is developing fast and just started construction on a dam that'll help further the village's success. Problem is," Sasuke said as he rested his head in his hand leaning against the window, "the dam will change the flow of the river and even dry parts of it up. That's enough to drive any Kappa mad and into a killing frenzy."

Well, great. A normal, everyday Kappa is a nasty monster to deal with if you were unfortunate enough to bump into one. A pissed off Kappa must be a nightmare and a half.

Modern society took the legend of the river spirit, Kappa, and turned it into a likable little creature with many different shapes and sizes, used mostly for advertising in the agricultural business. The real deal was no more than a monster obsessed with keeping its river lair clean and flowing. Ok, so the Kappa wasn't really all bad. Rivers inhabited by them were always the healthiest, full of fish and fresh, crystal clear water. Kappa's questionable diet of cucumbers, seaweed and the occasional human innards is what makes them a bit of a problem. Not to mention, they were some ugly looking things; a big, gaping mouth with razor, curved teeth, four clawed fingers on each lanky hand and two beady black eyes were the last thing you'd see if you ever came across one. The FCA allowed them to live simply because human victims are a very rare and special treat. One or two every few centuries or so. It could be forgiven. But any more than that and you were on our hit list.

"Locals don't know what to make of the victims." Sakura picked up the folder, opened it, pulled out a small envelope labeled VICTIMS and handed it to me. Just as I was about to unseal it Sakura warned me, "That's the photos of the victims' bodies that were found floating in the river. Remember Kappa eat human innards through-um-" She cleared her throat, "their anus…I already confirmed that the pictures accurately depict a Kappa attack. Have a look if you need any confirmation for yourself, but yeah. It's pretty gruesome."

"Oh," I grimaced and handed her the envelope back. "I'll just have to trust your judgment there. We really did get the most annoying job HQ could find." I shuddered. Frickin' Kappa. Nasty things.

"We find the Kappa, follow the book and put it down if necessary," Sasuke spoke a bit too softly. It was still ridiculously early in the morning and the graduation ceremony ended late last night. Neither of us got much sleep. Sasuke was always a bump on a log, but a sleep-deprived Sasuke was like a zombie with an attitude. It was almost cute how his head began to nod down as he started to fall into unconsciousness. But he opened his eyes which we all noticed had been closed till now and caught Sakura and I staring. He glared after realizing he looked vulnerable if for only a moment and sat up straight.

I grinned and teased, "Aren't you just the most adorable killing machine when you sleepy?"

"Another word and I'll crush you," Sasuke snapped.

Sakura groaned, "Can't you two get along for two seconds?"

"No," we both answered simultaneously.

Well at least we agreed on something.

* * *

I opened my eyes and reached high above my head, stretching my back out after a 12 hour train ride to the village named Toono with the Kappa problem of the century. Sakura and Sasuke were still asleep as the train pulled into the station and creaked to a halt. They were both leaning against the window, shoulders at ease and arms folded to their chest. My teammates sure don't have a lot of energy. At least in comparison to me. I was a big bundle of energy. While they slept through most of the ride, I explored the train again and again. My legs were dying for some open space.

"Hey," I murmured as I leaned over to gently shake Sakura's shoulder, "time to wake up."

Sakura stirred for a moment before her eyes fluttered open. I smiled. Couldn't help it really. She looked beautiful as always and getting the opportunity to actually spend so much time with her was overwhelming. I was seeing more sides of her than ever. Right now, I saw her sleepy dazed side and well, it was the most endearing thing I'd seen in a long time.

"Naruto," she mumbled lazily. Even the way she said my name right now was different. She was always alert before and ready to say my name with contempt, but right now I was just Naruto. No contempt. No anger. Just me. It was nice.

"Yeah, it's me," I said softly with a chuckle at the end. "We're at Toono Station."

"Oh," she yawned, "Ok, is Sasuke awake?" She rubbed her eyes with her palms and then stretched.

"Nope, still out like a light," I grinned. Let's keep it that way, I thought inwardly.

"Wake him up for me, ok?" She replied while leaning forward to crack her back.

I frowned, happy time regretfully over, but listened. "Ok, ok," I groaned. "One wake up call for the angry stiff coming right up."

"The 'angry stiff' is already awake, Loser." I turned around to find Sasuke glaring at me after a small yawn even he could fight back.

"Morning grumpy," I replied with a sneer.

A voice came over the speakers placed throughout the train to announce we had arrived and passengers were to embark from the train. I took a deep breath in and grabbed my bags from under my seat and, for course, Sakura's luggage as well.

"It's time to start our first mission," I said excitedly. "I'm about to jump out my skin I'm so excited."

"You won't feel the same way after meeting that Kapa," Sasuke huffed, but even his negativity couldn't ruin my eagerness.

I slide out of the booth and sauntered down the aisle towards the exit. Sakura and then Sasuke followed, not nearly as inspired as me as we stepped off the train into Toono station.

It was early in the morning, right before the sun came over the horizon. Summer darkness, gentle and warm, greeted us as we reached the open air. Another taxi waited for us outside of the station. This one was unique, because plastered across the side of the yellow car was a banner that read: Toono, The City of Folklore. And a happy little caricature of a Kappa held the banner up with chubby, clawless fingers and a smile so wide and inviting anyone would think it the last creature to gobble you up. The only thing accurate about the picture was the large lily pad pan that topped the water imp's head. Kappa used the lid to carry water that gave it the strength of ten men and an attitude to match a used car salesmen. They were strong, smart and could trick a chicken farmer into buying eggs. The only way to defuse a Kappa was to trick them into spilling the water from atop their head. But tricking a trickster was harder said than done.

"Well, isn't that cute?" Sakura laughed. "It makes Kappa's almost huggable if I didn't know better."

"Thank goodness we know better," I grimaced at the thought of such close proximity to a Kappa.

"Let's get moving," Sasuke walked past us to slip into the backseat of the cab. Sakura followed suit and jumped into the front seat. I frowned at the thought of cramming myself back into a vehicle, but trailed behind the two and flopped next to Sasuke.

"Welcome to Toono," the taxi driver turned to face us with a large smile, "The City of Folklore."

Sakura and I replied with half-assed, polite smiles.

"Bring us to Sarugaishi River where the dam is being built," Sasuke demanded coldly. "And make it quick."

The taxi drivers' smile died tragically and so did his welcoming attitude. "Yes, sir," he scoffed and turned to start driving down the road. Sakura and I gave Sasuke disapproving stares that he effectively ignored. As we chugged along, I stared out the window to take in the village. It was rural from what I could see, but charming. I liked it. I really did. Getting rid of a Kappa menace from this homey town would make me proud to be an agent.

When we arrived at Sarugaishi River twenty minutes later, I noticed that the construction site of the dam was not only lacking but empty of any activity at all. Even this early in the morning, people should be out working on such a massive project. I guess the workers wised up and high-tailed it out of here. Abandoned tents, equipment and massive stones hooked up to cranes were left by the river side.

We stepped out of the taxi which then left in a hurry thanks to Sasuke's endearing attitude. Sakura placed her hands on her hips and said, "Well, let's get to it. First comes first; we find the Kappa."

"Where should we start looking?" I asked. "This river encircles the entire village."

"Idiot," Sasuke insulted me as he walked past us and towards the river, "You never paid attention in class. We don't need to find it. It can find us."

"We need cucumber or seaweed. We can attract it to us with some of its favorite food. Pickled cucumber would be even better," Sakura suggested.

I sneered at Sasuke and then addressed Sakura with, "We don't really have any of that right now. Should we wait till the market opens and buy some later?"

"No," Sasuke answered, "It has another favorite food right here." With that, Sasuke began stripping off his suit and tie.

"What the hell are you doing?" I stammered as Sakura froze in astonishment, her face flushing brilliant red as Sasuke's undershirt came off to reveal his bare chest and back.

"This particular Kappa has been eating human guts like potato chips. I'll attract it. Naruto comes from behind and cuts off its escape. Sakura, you'll be waiting on the river bank when we chase it out of the water. Kappa are known for their love for women. It'll let its guard down for you."

"Did you say, 'love for women'?" Sakura said, exasperated, "More like they lust for woman, the little perverts. You're just going to throw me to the thing after throwing yourself to it? This is a bad plan, Sasuke."

Wow, for once Sakura was actually disagreeing with Sasuke about a plan. When we were in school together, every practice mission was led by Sasuke and not once did Sakura complain. I guess things change when the monsters are real.

"There are no witnesses right now. It's perfect for a quick capture. We won't have to hold back for fear of creating a scene if things turn violent. It's now or never." Sasuke retorted quickly as he slipped out of his shoes. "Now, get in position," he demanded.

"Ok," I snapped officially pissed. "Who died and made you leader of Team 7?"

"You have a better plan, Loser?" Sasuke asked.

Well, now that he asked yes, yes I did.

* * *

_Ok, so maybe my idea wasn't any better_, I thought as my body was flung into the air like a Frisbee to land with a wet thud on the river bank. My ribs screamed as I curled in on myself to writhe for a moment before the Kappa grabbed my leg with impossible strength to drag me back into the water. This guy was the ugliest thing I'd seen in a long time. It was no taller than a ten year old with long arms and skinny legs holding up a body seemingly consisting of a single round belly full to the brim with...well, it wasn't full of cucumbers, that's for sure. Its circular head sat atop a neck that looked too thin to hold it up, sporting a mouth that took up more than half of its face. Razor sharp teeth, curved inward greeted me with a smile as I was pulled towards the deeper part of the river.

_Crap, crap, crap,_ I cursed inwardly as my lungs began to burn for air. The Kappa's beady black eyes never left mine even as I thrashed in the water like a fish caught in a net. I didn't want to end up like the rest of the Kappa's victims who looked like they had a colonoscopy gone horridly wrong. I scrapped my hands along the river floor, desperately searching for my katana that I dropped when the Kappa first sent my ass flailing through the morning air. Sasuke wouldn't let me live it down, losing my weapon like that. Well, that's if I even lived through this. Just as I was about to run out of oxygen, my fingers touched the cool, slick blade of my katana. Success! I grabbed the blade without a second thought. It cut into my skin as I pulled it to my other hand and grabbed the handle. I turned the blade towards the Kappa with a grin that said, 'Now, we're cooking with fire!'

The Kappa's wicked smile curved into a furious, tooth filled snarl when I swiftly cut off the hand it used to pull me by my leg. Before I shot to the surface of the water, I snatch the detached limb, still twitching wildly in my grasp. I gasped for air as I scrambled to my feet. My eyes searched wildly for Sasuke. He was running towards me through the water, his eyes focused and ready. I gathered all my strength and hummed the Kappa's hand straight at Sasuke. There was a split second between my throw and Sasuke catching the hand in his arms. Just a split second, but it was enough time to take two years off my young life. This job was a lot more stressful than I thought it would be.

Sasuke didn't miss a beat. He turned to face Sakura who was yelling from the riverbank.

"Sasuke!" she called, waving her arms expectedly. Sasuke threw her the hand. Sakura fell back as the hand landed right in her lap.

I grinned widely at our success, but was interrupted when the Kappa resurfaced besides Sasuke to drag him down to the depths. "Sasuke!" I screamed as I sprinted through the waist deep water as fast as I could. The river was too shallow by Sasuke's end for the Kappa to pull him far. The struggle between the two created chaos in the water, sending white foam flying wildly.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Sakura screamed as loudly as she could towards the fight. She held the hand high in air. Its sickly green skin seemed to bleed out into a paler version of itself as she continued, "If you kill him, you'll never get your hand back!"

Kappa were formidable creatures in every sense of the word, but if you got a hold of one of their limbs, they'd break down and do practically anything for it back. Getting said limb though was a lot harder said than done. My officially bruised ribs could attest to that.

The river immediately calmed and a second later Sasuke shot up out of the water, coughing and panting. The Kappa's shadow slithered underneath the water toward Sakura and stopped just before the bank. It stood up and stared directly at Sakura in only a foot of water.

"Give it back," it growled. Its voice sounded like the muffled cries of a drowning man gargling down a lung full of water.

"Get out of the river, empty the cap of water on your head and then we'll talk negotiations," Sakura said stiffly. Sasuke and I made our way out of the river the same time the Kappa crawled onto the bank, sneering and clawing the ground angrily. It glared at her before admitting defeat and tipping in head forward as if to bow. The lily pad on its head was empty, making the Kappa no stronger than a normal man for now.

So, my plan was reckless but worked so far. Sakura didn't need to face a horny Kappa at full strength. Take that, Sasuke.

"I've done what you said, now give it back," the Kappa reached out towards Sakura, desperate.

"Not yet," Sasuke said. He came up behind Sakura and stared down the Kappa with such cold contempt that only he could pull off. "We are agents of the FCA. You have killed over five construction workers in the past month. Do you plead guilty?"

Guilty or not guilty. No matter what you said, if the evidence outweighed your case, we'd put you down. That's how it worked. We were judge, jury and, if need be, executioners to the supernatural.

"I killed those men," the Kappa admitted surprisingly, "Though guilt, I do not feel. They were destroying my river, my home. I've protected this river, even provided fresh water to this village for centuries. Now these humans disrespect my kindness and dare to threaten my waters."

"I don't care why you did what you did," Sasuke interjected as he lifted his own weapon, a slick black gun, to the Kappa's forehead. "You either stop killing humans and leave this river or I'll put a bullet in your head. And trust me, we'll leave the rest of you out to dry in the sun, so there'll be no bouncing back, understand?"

Kappa can heal from practically any injury, even a bullet to the brain, as long as they have water to keep them wet. A dried out Kappa on the other hand is a dead one.

"We'll even provide transport if you agree to our terms," Sakura started, her voice sounded rather gentle considering who she was talking to. I guess she didn't want to see this thing die if it could be avoided. "There are plenty of rivers that would benefit from you."

The Kappa looked up at Sakura, black eyes filled with anything but pleasant images.

"This is my home," the Kappa hissed, "this river will die with that dam and I will die fighting to protect it." It turned its gaze to Sasuke and stared down the barrel of the gun. "Humans will never understand."

Sasuke's eyes didn't leave the Kappa's. He was emotionless and didn't even flinch when the Kappa grabbed the gun and pressed the barrel to it head.

It repeated, "You'll never understand."

Sasuke replied, "You're right," and with that, he pulled the trigger. The Kappa's body convulsed at the shock and then collapsed to the ground. "I'll never understand monsters like you," Sasuke said so quietly I thought I might have imagined him say it.

Sakura came to my side and grabbed my shoulder. Her knees were shaking when she passed the Kappa's hand to me. "I need to sit down," she murmured.

I watched her as she walked to the river's edge and collapsed on her backside to sit with her legs against her chest. Our first mission didn't turn out like I hoped it would. I guess she was thinking the same thing.

"I'll take the corpse and handle the rest," Sasuke said when he appeared next to me and grabbed the hand. "You and Sakura go to the motel."

"You sure?" I was surprised. I didn't expect Sasuke to be so…uh…nice? He was letting us off early while he found a field to leave the Kappa out to dry.

"I want to do this right. Having an emotional wreck and a wounded idiot around will only slow me down," Sasuke huffed and walked back to toss the Kappa over his shoulder.

"Bastard," I cursed and let him go. He disappeared down the street to who knows where. Sasuke probably spotted a field on our way here. I didn't mind letting the work-a-holic do the rest of the job. Hey, I probably got a few bruised ribs and a hand that defiantly needs stiches. Sasuke walked away without a scratch. I call this even distribution of work.

I sighed, scratched my head of sopping wet hair and slowly shuffled my way to Sakura. Carefully, not to upset my sore ribs, I sat down beside her and groaned loudly.

"Well, this was a big heap of fun," I looked at her and grinned sheepishly. She just continued to stare at the river, eyes somber. My lips pressed into a hard line. I scooted closer to her and gently reached for her hand. She turned and gazed up at me, tired and confused. "I know this was hard," I began softly, "They're a lot scarier in person, right?"

She shook her head and replied, "No, actually, I imagined them much more terrifying in my head. I just didn't expect it to seem so…human."

My eyes widened and I tilted my head in confusion. "I…I don't really understand what you mean," I said.

"It's ok," Sakura breathed and smiled lightly. "I'm being silly, I guess."

I opened my mouth to say something, but Sakura's fingers curled around mine, warm and accepting as she leaned her head on my shoulder. My heart began to pound in my chest as my face flushed with heat. We rested our legs over the bank of the river glistening against an orange sun rise that began to grow over the horizon. A gentle breeze carried the sweet, sizzling scent of summer over the vast, impossibly green fields that surrounded us. This land, in a simple word, was beautiful.

"I could see why it didn't want to leave," Sakura murmured soberly as she turned her head to look up at me with light green eyes, "This was its home."

Then I understood…She felt guilty.

I wanted to tell her what we did was the right thing to do. But, well, there was no right and wrong in our line of work. There were no black, white or gray areas. It was all one big canvas painted red. Creatures like the Kappa had only two choices; do what we say or die. If the FCA tells you to take a hike, leave all that you've ever known, then you pack it up and you go. The Kappa, like many of its kind, rarely ever listens. It usually ends in someone getting shot, decapitated or eaten. Fact is someone dies in the end.

No black, no white and especially no gray. This world was red. Plain and simple.

Yet, it didn't make the guilt go away any easier.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Thanks for reading. Please review and tell me what you think. I thought it would be fun to take request for monster/spirits Team 7 should hunt down on their next mission, so if anyone has any suggestions feel free to speak up. Again, thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

Fiends: Chapter Two

Buddhism always overwhelmed me. Wait, let me explain. I just couldn't imagine myself walking towards enlightenment; towards a path of righteousness and peace on earth. Before I graduated, I listened to hundreds of lectures on different religious beliefs that associated with the supernatural and it was _always_ Buddhism that got me. Every single time I was hypnotized like a moth fluttering towards a bright light in the darkness. I longed for all Buddhism could offer. Stability. Faith. Harmony. _Acceptance_. Yet, every time I tried to pray my mouth wouldn't open to let the words escape. Every time I pictured myself in a state of peace, chaos would suddenly erupt around me in the form of monsters with long, pointed tails and slender faces with lava red eyes, their wicked laughter deafening. Buddhism was overwhelming because the harder I reached for it, the harder I was pushed down by the past.

So, someone, _anyone_, tell me please…can a soul drench in darkness be led towards the light?

* * *

It was two weeks after our first mission with the Kappa and Sakura was finally back to normal. When I mean by normal, she was kicking my ass across the gym floor. We were back at FCA headquarters, making good use of the facilities. Well, I was enjoying a nice solo game of basketball until Sakura thought it would be a great idea to spar for the second day in a row. If anyone every told me I punched like a girl, I'd be damn proud if that girl just happened to be Sakura.

"You could," I coughed, "go easier on me once in a while." My eyes fixated on Sakura as she stood above me, gazing down with an overly confident smirk. I was on my back, much like eighty percent of the time when I spared Sakura. And no, I never went easy on her. If I did, I'd probably be dead.

"You know I can't hold back. Kakashi Sensei says its bad combat skills. I say its honesty," Sakura said as she flashed a triumphant grin. Bad combat skills? Honesty? I think its bullying. And pretty damn attractive when it's Sakura kicking ass. Although, I wish it wasn't my ass she was kicking.

She reached down to help me up. I smiled, grabbed her hand and was ruthlessly throw over her shoulder like a rag doll to land on the hard gym floor with an almost metallic _thunk_. The air was knocked out of my lung as Sakura laughed mockingly.

"You should remember, Naruto; never trust your opponent!" She announced. See? Bully.

But I love her.

I decided to be smart and stay down for the count. Love doesn't make getting beat the crap out of any less painful. Although slightly more tolerable.

"You're lessons are harsh as always, Sakura," a familiar voice broke the ringing in my ears that I hadn't realized was there until now. I rolled over to see Kakashi Sensei strolling towards us. He was a tall man, slender and lean with spiked gray hair toppling to one side. If you want to know what his face looks like, well, that makes two of us. He perpetually wears a cloth, navy mask that covers majority of his relatively pale face. His right eye, black as Sasuke's, always seemed bored and simultaneously gave off this aura of indifference, while his left eye was, I guess, too damn lazy to even open to begin with. Well, no, I suppose the long, pink scar running down the left lid was partly due to it always being shut. Kakashi Sensei was a mysterious man. Besides some unimportant details and his basic personality, I hardly knew anything about him. I suppose that's the extent of a student/ teacher relationship.

"Still getting beaten by Sakura, I see," Kakashi addressed me, his voice filled with amusement.

"It's not like I have much of a choice," I grumbled, still not ready to get off the cool, glazed floor of the gym. Getting up meant starting the sparing match all over again and I'd like to stay grounded for more than five seconds. Was that too much to ask for?

Sakura grabbing my arm and sending me flying was my answer. I guess so.

"And staying on the floor won't save you from a real fight," Sakura began with hands on her hips, "Would that Kappa have let you lay there so long before ripping you a new one?"

"Uh-," was all I could manage with the ringing back in my ears, louder than ever.

"No!" She answered promptly, "You'd be monster chow by now."

"I think you should get up, Naruto, before she throws you again. Although, whether you get up or not doesn't matter," Kakashi chuckled. "I suppose sprouting wings is your best option."

"If only," I choked out as I rolled onto all fours to push myself up to my knees. Sakura was really giving me hell today. Next time, I groaned inwardly, I should wear a cup. I never know when she'll go for the low blow to teach me that even monsters kick below the belt. For some reason, she was really intent on teaching me everything she knew about martial arts ever since I healed from the Kappa attack.

My ribs were back to normal, at last, and the cuts on my hand from grabbing my katana had finally scabbed over. The slices were actually a lot deeper than I thought. I needed thirty eight stiches in just one palm. The doctors were I afraid I might lose feeling in some parts of that hand forever. Thank goodness that wasn't the case. Ever since I was up and running again, it seemed like Sakura was hell bent on pounding as many sparring matches into my skull as possible. She damn near fractured said skull yesterday trying to teach me the art of 'surprise attacks.'

"Actually," Sakura sighed and folded her arms, "today's lessons are over. You're obviously not learning how to counter a proper throw. I probably threw you too hard the first time, scrambling what little brain you have left in that head of yours." She shook her head as if she was seriously concern about my amount of brain matter.

"Thanks, Sakura Sensei," I mocked grimly and wobbled to my feet. I was one of the best fighters in my graduating class if you handed me a weapon or two. Hand to hand combat wasn't my forte but even then I was better than most of my classmates. At least in my opinion. Yet, Sakura, master at hand to hand combat, didn't let me touch a single weapon during any of our recent sparing matches. She was being more of a bully these past two days than ever before.

I sighed and asked, "Now, may I be excused? I want to scrub the smell of overwhelming defeat off myself with a good shower."

Sakura huffed and waved me off. "You'll need more than soap to achieve that. Try a mixture of bleach and warm water. I heard that works," she suggested dryly.

I grimaced and walked past Kakashi Sensei towards the boy's locker room.

"Nice seeing you again, Naruto," Kakashi Sensei said cheerfully. A little too cheerfully. For a teacher who's supposed to protect his precious students, he took way too much joy in seeing Sakura beat the crap out of me. I shot him an annoyed glance and waved goodbye.

As I entered the locker room, I remembered I forgot my bag with my change of clothes on one of the gym benches. I grumbled to myself, annoyed and walked out of the locker room and back onto the gym floor. Sakura and Kakashi Sensei were standing side by side shooting basketballs and talking.

Before I could interrupt them, I couldn't help but overhear Kakashi Sensei and Sakura discussing something that made the air tense enough to bend metal.

"You know, you can't prepare him for everything, Sakura," Kakashi Sensei said softly. Sakura's shoulders immediately tensed as she stopped herself from shooting another ball.

"I'm not. At least, I don't think I am," She replied gloomily, "I just don't want what happened with the Kappa to happen again."

"I read the report you sent in," Kakashi shot another basketball into the net, "Naruto lost his sword when the Kappa threw him."

Crap. Is this what this whole sparing frenzy is about?

"Sensei," Sakura began as she bent over to place the basketball at her feet, "When I saw his katana fly through the air and land in the river, I thought, 'He's dead.' I wasn't expecting him to be lucky enough to just stumble upon his weapon like he did. If he didn't, Sasuke and I wouldn't have made it in time."

"Luck is a skill too, you know. Don't focus so much about the past and what could have happened. The good thing is everyone is alive. Be grateful and move on. Beating Naruto into the ground won't change anything."

Sakura's shoulders began to quiver as her arms stiffened to her sides. Her fingers balled into fist.

"Sensei, Sasuke had a plan and Naruto thought it was too risky. He thought I'd get hurt, so he made a new plan. It was obviously more dangerous for him and I didn't say a thing to stop him. What if he would have died? All because I was too afraid to face the Kappa head on like Sasuke planned. It would have been my fault if Naruto didn't make it."

A silence so heavy it was suffocating followed.

No, no, no. This isn't right. So, that's why Sakura's been throwing me around like a rag doll. She feels guilty because I pulled her out the frying pan and jumped in instead.

I bit my lip and turned to walk out the gym silently. Screw the shower. I wanted to go home.

As I slipped out the double doors Sasuke Uchiha passed me by, our shoulders knocking into each other as we shared distasteful glares and went our separate ways.

Today was seriously turning out to be nothing less than crap-tastic.

* * *

As you can imagine, I got over myself before Sakura and Sasuke came home around nightfall. Sakura felt guilty for me getting hurt. Being an emotional wreck, as Sasuke would put it, wouldn't help. Sakura came bursting through the front door with a big smile on her face.

"Hey, Naruto!" She called out enthusiastically, "Sasuke and I sparred and I actually threw him! For the first time, I got him!"

I was sitting in the front room on the couch watching some brain-numbing cartoons when she announced the most uplifting piece of news I've ever heard. The great Sasuke Uchiha was thrown? Oh how I wish I would've seen that!

"Kakashi Sensei was distracting me," Sasuke droned as he followed behind her to close the door with a swift but quiet slam. How Sasuke quietly slams doors, I don't know. You have to be there to see the controlled fury in order to understand it. "Beside, Sakura exaggerates. I wasn't thrown, but merely swept off my feet for a moment."

"You liar," Sakura exclaimed with a laugh, "You went flying through the air like a bouncy ball! Your face, Sasuke, was priceless." I'd never seen Sakura look so accomplished. I had to thank Sasuke for something, at least this one time. He cheered Sakura up. Whether he knows it or not, I was grateful. Although, a bit jealous too.

"Whatever, enough. We need to talk," Sasuke sneered, "We have a new mission." He slipped his backpack around, pulled out a folder and handed it to Sakura. "Kakashi Sensei handed this to me before we left."

Sakura opened the folder and began reading the data as she walked over to the couch and plopped down next to me. I smiled excitedly and scooted closer to glimpse at the mission along with her. I'm not going to lie. I didn't read a single word. I just used that as an excuse, I guess, to sit closer to her. Is that creepy? Crap. I'm trying not to be creepy.

"Oh no, they can't be serious," Sakura murmured, voice completely void of any of her previous enthusiasm.

"Even I'm surprised headquarters is giving us this particular mission," Sasuke added, "You would expect missions like this to be top priority, handled by more seasoned agents."

"Huh? What is it?" I asked.

Sakura shot me an annoyed glance. "You didn't read a thing, did you?" She accused.

I replied with a sheepish, don't-smash-me grin. It worked thankfully. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in exhaustion. This must be a doozy to kill all that pep she had only moments ago.

"Tengu," she snapped. "They want us to hunt down a Tengu for the love of-" She groaned and tossed the folder down before continuing. "I don't even know what HQ is thinking anymore."

I frowned deeply. This has to be a mistake. Tengu were up there with Godzilla if that particular leviathan even existed.

"Wait, you said a Tengu," I began, "As in singular?" That couldn't be right. Tengu fly in flocks. They're never alone, even when going rogue.

Tengu look a lot like humans surprisingly, expect for the pair of enormous wings and clawed fingers. Oh and not to mention they're legs from the knees down are feathered with the same black plumage as their wings as they sport huge, flesh searing talons instead of feet. Most are terrifyingly quick. Like lightening cutting through the sky, they can easy travel from mountain range to mountain range where they roost in elaborate caves carved out of the highest peaks. That makes them half impossible to track and trying to catch a Tengu in flight is like trying to catch a fly with chopsticks. Probably even harder than that.

But I'm rambling. Back to my point. Tengu live in a hierarchical society. The strongest Tengu is chief or O-Tengu that control the whole flock. No one goes rogue unless the O-Tengu goes rogue. And well, if the O-Tengu goes rouge, the whole damn flock nose dives into the darkness right behind their chief. Again, it's never just one giant bird freak causing problems. It's ten or twenty, possibly dozens more causing chaos at a time, making a mission such as this a high priority. A fresh out of the oven team like us wouldn't last five minutes against a flock of Tengu.

"Well, that's the thing," Sakura started, "apparently this is just one Tengu and it's not exactly showing signs of going rogue yet. The whole mission is pretty vague."

"So, what do we do exactly?" I questioned.

"There's a Buddhist temple at the base of Mount Hiko where the monks have been spotting a lone Tengu perching atop the roof of one of their main buildings. According to the report, it's brazenly showing itself to the people living at the temple, _even_ in broad daylight. The monks had to close the temple off from any visitors for fear the public would see," Sasuke explained.

"So the Tengu hasn't been reported being violent. It's just acting extremely irregular and frightening the temple residents. It's our job to go there and figure out what we can do to get the Tengu to return to the mountain peaks where it belongs," Sakura added.

"Ok," I said questionably, "What if push comes to shove and it doesn't want to leave?"

"Don't ask stupid questions," Sasuke said dryly, "Any supernatural being who doesn't obey the FCA's terms is effectively annihilated."

He was right, but that didn't exactly answer my question. I highly doubted this Tengu was really flying solo. If anything, its flock wasn't far. If push came to shove and it didn't want to leave, Team 7 couldn't do much to stop it. We'd just be bird feed in the end.

"This will defiantly be interesting," Sakura sighed and nudged my shoulder, "Packed up, Naruto. We leave for Mount Hiko tomorrow morning."

I took a deep breath and exhaled. "I'm actually kind of excited," I exclaimed. "Our second mission and we already get to take on a Tengu." I grinned widely.

"Let's hope for our sake this Tengu is just causing some mischief," Sakura murmured grimly, "because if it's looking for a fight, we're screwed."

Sakura, Sasuke and I stared at each other for moment before all three of us sighed and walked up to our rooms to pack.

Wish us luck. We'll be needing it.

* * *

The next day, Team 7 was on a train headed west towards Mount Hiko.

"The Shugenja monks were nice enough to offer us a place to stay at the temple while we investigate the Tengu," Sakura broke the silence the three of us had been stewing in for the past five hours. I was back to contemplating about Sakura and Kakashi's conversation, while Sasuke was simply being his usual brooding self. Hm. I guess things were pretty quiet when I wasn't feeling talkative. "We should thank them properly when we get a chance to go into town. I'm sure there's a village near the temple. Maybe we can find them a little something to show our appreciation."

"Handling their monster problem isn't enough?" Sasuke asked coolly with his head leaning against the window to stare listlessly at the passing scenery.

"No," Sakura replied curtly, "That's our job. The monks didn't need to give us a place to stay."

"Sakura," I smiled at her, "are you Buddhist?"

"Huh? No, why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering," I replied.

"Are you?" She leaned towards me curiously.

I smiled shyly and scratched the back of my head. "Well, no, but I've always been interested in Buddhism."

"Wow, Naruto, I didn't expect that from you," Sakura said, seemingly stricken with awe. What? I didn't seem cultured enough or something?

"We're here," Sasuke interrupted. He continued to stare out the window as we sluggishly pulled into our stop. Enormous cryptomeria trees surrounded the small cement platform that served as the only sign of human influence on the land besides the railroad tracks that cut through the looming mountain ranges. Large brown hawks with their proud breast raised looked down their royal beaks at us from the sky as we stepped out of the train. We seemed to be the only passengers getting off at this particular stop. I wasn't surprised.

"So, I'm guessing we're hoofing it from here?" I thought aloud, "I don't see any roads. We're in the middle of nowhere."

"We wait," Sasuke said blandly and placed his bags down, "One of the monks should be arriving soon to escort us to the temple."

As if on cue, a small, elderly man came shuffling out of the greenery wearing a baggy, white robe tied with a braided purple sash around his waist. Thick, brown prayer beads hung from his thin neck. He looked ancient and kind as he smiled up at us from in front of the platform.

"Hello, dear friends," he called to us, voice filled with quiet sincerity, "I am from Shugendō temple, here to escort our much anticipated guests."

Sakura was the first of us to step down from the platform to bow deeply in greeting to the pleasant monk.

"Thank you so much for meeting us here," she said gingerly, "I am Sakura Haruno. This is Naruto Uzumaki," she gestured at me and then Sasuke, "and this is Sasuke Uchiha." We both bowed simultaneously.

"Ooohoho," the monk exclaimed jauntily, "So young, yet so polite. It is a refreshing to meet such kind children. Though, excuse my assumption, I expected much older guests to resolve the temple's unwanted visitor."

"I assure you," Sakura held up her right hand to promise, "Team 7 is very capable."

The monk's jovial smile grew, creating more wrinkles in his face than the lines traced in century old tree bark. Yeah, he was old as dirt, but I liked him.

"Let's be off then, children! The temple has prepared a humble feast as to welcome your arrival," the monk turned and waved us to follow.

"Oh, you didn't have to go through the trouble," I told him, although I was really excited they did. Food and me make a happy pair.

"Trust me, friend, you will be quiet famished after today," the monk said as he led us on a small trail into the forest that was so overgrown that if he wasn't leading the way Sakura, Sasuke and I would have never even noticed it to begin with. "It will take till nightfall to arrive at the temple grounds."

Wait…what?

* * *

The monk overestimated Team 7's endurance. It took well past sundown to arrive at the temple. Even Sasuke was breathing heavy by the time we reached the front gates leading into the grounds paved with polished white stones. Sakura and I were lagging behind, half crazed with exhaustion.

"I can't…even…" Sakura breathed deeply and exhaled hard as she shambled alongside me. Sasuke and the monk where ahead of us already trading out their shoes for temple sandals. "How is…that old man…even…alive?" Every other word was interrupted by a gasp for air.

I was so damn tired and out of breathe I didn't even attempt to talk. A simple and extremely over exaggerated shrug was all I could manage. We hiked uphill for hours through some of the toughest terrain I had ever experienced. We were put through years of conditioning at HQ, but none of that prepared us for this. The monk who escorted us was unfazed and still smiling gingerly as if his old body was fortified with thick cypress instead of brittle bone.

"Oohohoho," The monk chortled loudly as Sakura and I finally joined them to replace our tattered shoes with wooden sandals, our hands clumsy from fatigue. "You did well to keep up, children. Come, I'm sure you're very hungry."

"YES," I breathed and gathered all my remaining strength to stomp ahead.

After a humble dinner consisting of white rice and dried fish, Sakura, Sasuke and I retired to our rooms which were separated by only thin sliding doors made of thick paper tapered together with wooden panels. The tatami style rooms were empty besides the folded up sleeping mats placed in the corner.

"Great," I grumbled. I hated sleeping on the floor. My stomach churned still hungry for more than just the plain and partially lacking dinner.

"Still think we should get them something for thanks?" Sasuke asked, his voice dripping with agitation. We could hear each other crystal clear through our rooms, which made things a bit awkward when considering I'm pretty sure I snore.

"After our day of torture, I'm reconsidering," Sakura grumbled. She didn't mean it. I think.

"The monks seem pretty nice at least," I added, trying to lighten the mood. "Although, I doubt they have many visitors. I guess that's why the Tengu showing up in broad daylight hasn't caught the media's eye."

"Yet," Sasuke interjected.

"Tomorrow morning," Sakura began, "we'll investigate the grounds and see if we can figure out why the Tengu keeps returning to the temple. Let's get some sleep for now."

She didn't have to say another word and, if she did, I didn't hear her. I was already diving into one of the hardest sleeps I've ever had.

The next morning, deafening bells tolled so loudly I could feel the ground beneath me shake. Sasuke and Sakura were already up, getting prepared for the day, when I shot out of my bundle of blankets like a bat out of hell, screaming and flailing to send myself tripping over my own feet to fall flat on my face.

"The resident wakeup call too loud for you?" Sasuke asked as he pulled back the sliding doors separating our rooms. He looked down his nose at me, smug as can be.

"Shut. Up." I grumbled and lazily rose to my feet. "This temple is making me old," I accentuated the comment with popping my back.

"Get dressed," Sakura demanded curtly as she entered my room through Sasuke's. "The monks say the Tengu shows up around mid-morning almost every day. I want to investigate the grounds a bit before we encounter it."

I sighed and closed the sliding doors to peel off my pajamas to replace them with a pair of black sweat pants and a blue t-shirt with a large orange whirlpool stamped on the front. After getting dressed, Team Seven thoroughly scanned every inch of the pristine temple grounds. We didn't find anything unusual, although we still had no idea what exactly we were looking for.

"Something must be attracting the Tengu to this temple," Sakura huffed as she wiped sweat from her forehead with a wet cloth.

"No one's gone missing," I said as I plopped down on the steps leading into the main temple building where all the monks were shuffling inside to begin their mid-morning rituals. "So, the Tengu isn't snacking on anyone."

"Tengu don't eat people," Sasuke corrected with a sneer. He stood beside me, leaning against the railing. "Tengu sometimes spirit malicious people away to abandon in the mountains as punishment for their sins. Some flocks take it too far and decide every mortal is a sinner in need of punishment. That's the extreme cases. Usually, rogue flocks just cause mischief, but this one is apparently solo and isn't doing much of anything besides revealing itself to the public."

"I talked to almost every monk and they say it just perches atop this roof for an hour or so, then leaves," Sakura said as she collapsed onto her backside to sit on the temple steps in front of me.

"Weird," I commented, tilting my head in confusion. Monsters aren't always predictable, but this was a little too far off the reservation. "I guess we just wait."

So, with not many choices on our plate, we sat on the porch of the main building where the Tengu was said to visit and waited.

A light, gentle shower started to trickle down from the sky as the monks within the temple began to chant with deep, soothing voices. Sakura and I exchanged intrigued glances as we listened to the rhythmic mantras echoing out across the temple grounds. Their song of faith carried over the trees and into the mountains, past everything, to soak the air in an almost palpable calm. I found myself closing my eyes, overpowered by a sense of peace.

"Look," Sakura breathed. I opened my eyes to see her pointing towards the sky. I jumped to my feet and turned to find a dark figure looming over us, perched atop the highest point of the building with curved talons gripping into the thatched roof.

"The Tengu," I murmured, astonished at the sight.

Even from so high, I could see it was tall for a Tengu. Most reach six feet at the highest. This one was pushing past seven with talons large enough to carry off two full grown men in each feathered grasp. A red mask, painted with the angry scowl of an ogre, covered the Tengu's face. Long black hair flowed in the gentle breeze as it gazed down at us with eyes of the deepest crimson, peering through the slits in the ominous mask. It wore a deep purple robe, trimmed with gold braided bands.

"Someone ate their vitamins…" I laughed nervously and then shot a worried glance at Sakura and Sasuke before asking, "Now, what?"

Sasuke replied with a roll of his eyes and called up to the Tengu, "We are agents of the FCA ordered to remove you from the temple grounds. Come down, Tengu." His voice was almost washed away to a whisper by the monk's pulsating chants.

The Tengu took one massive step forward to walk off the roof and into the air. To our surprise, it fell and landed with a wet, scrapping thud in front of us with its shoulders rolled back and head held high. If I had to bet who was top bird on this mountain, I would say it way this guy.

Well,

I would have if I didn't notice it was missing a main component of a strong Tengu or any Tengu for that matter. Don't most Tengu have _two_ wings? One crooked wing fluttered weakly on the Tengu's broad right shoulder. It was puny compared to his unnaturally sturdy body and missing what seemed to be the majority of its black plumage.

"You're violating the law of the FCA by revealing yourself to the public," Sasuke began to explain to the Tengu coolly. Someone wasn't wasting anytime. "As representatives of the FCA, we demand that you return to your flock and stay were you belong, high in the mountains far from human eyes."

A voice too soft for such an intimidating creature came from behind the Tengu's mask.

"I have no flock, no mountain. Only this," it murmured quietly as he turned to gaze at the temple, the chanting still seeping through the wooden doors. The Tengu repeated soberly, "Only, only this," before leaping into the clouds to disappear among the gray. For a Tengu with one, scrawny wing, he could _move_. Sasuke, Sakura and I barely had time to react before it was long gone.

"Well, damn," I cursed, "Really, _now_ what?"

"He went west back towards the mountain," Sakura sighed, "With only one wing we might have a chance at tracking him. Maybe we can find out where his cave is. It can't be too high on the mountain, considering his condition."

"He said he didn't have a mountain," I commented while tilting my head in confusion at the very thought.

"He? When did _it_ become a _he_?" Sasuke asked as he slipped his gun back into the holster clipped to his belt. Ok, so maybe Sasuke did have time to react. At least enough time to whip out his favorite little brain-blaster.

"Well, it sounded like a man," Sakura clarified. I don't think that's why Sasuke asked. He never really considered monsters being anything more than 'its.' I, on the other hand, didn't really care to make the distinction. What you called a monster didn't matter. He, she, it would kill you all the same if you didn't play your cards right. "Now, I say we check the surrounding areas outside the temple grounds for any sign of broken branches, maybe even tracks. He can't possibly fly like that for long."

"Sounds like a plan," I grinned and pat Sakura on the back, "Where should we look first?"

Her eyes narrowed as she said, "I'll look that way and you'll look in the opposite direction. Sasuke will go straight in the middle and search there. We'll work our way towards each other and meet up with him in about three hours." I frowned. I thought we'd maybe go together. Oh, well, at least I'm not stuck with Sasuke. You got to look for that silver lining. "Stay sharp and don't lose your way. It's easy to get lost around here. If you find anything mark the trail so we can find it again. You two ready?"

Sasuke didn't bother to nod like me. He just walked off to do his job like the usual stick in the mud. I shook my head and then turned my attention to Sakura.

"Be careful, ok?" I said with a worried smile.

"I was about to say the same to you. Where's your katana?" She asked. I grinned wickedly and pulled out a kunai from a thick pouch attached to my hip where a dozen more were stored.

"I thought I'd play with these today. I don't want to go losing my sword again so soon. With these," I raised the kunai to her face excitedly, "I can throw them all I want. Oh and, don't worry, I have a few more sharp objects on my person that'll help me de-feather a bird or two."

Sakura's concern eyes softened as she placed her hand on my shoulder and squeezed.

"Don't die, ok?" She smiled.

I laughed and raised my hand to give her a proud thumbs up. Lame, lame, lame. I know.

"I'll always come back to you, Sakura," I announced without shame. "Naruto Uzumaki isn't becoming bird feed anytime soon!"

But, really, it wasn't the birds I should have been worried about...

* * *

The little rain shower from moments before Team Seven split up had suddenly transformed into a full blown monsoon. I stumbled through the forest, tossed by the roaring wind and pounding rain. Sakura told Sasuke and I to be careful. _Don't get lost. Don't lose the trail._ Well, it was needless to say that I was more than lost. _I was screwed._

The massive trees surrounding me moaned as the storm cut through the land like a knife. It felt like it was cutting through me too. After over an hour of tripping through the forest, desperately searching for Sakura, I collapsed to the ground to pin myself against a trunk to block at least some of the wind and rain. It was pointless. I was soaking wet and freezing, covered in mud and leaves like a dirty pinecone. Lightening sliced across the blackened sky as thunder crackled all around me.

I only hoped that Sakura found her way back to the temple.

A high-pitched scream suddenly cut through all the chaos of the storm and I knew Sakura hadn't found her way back. She was here and she was in trouble. I jumped to my feet and went sprinting towards her cry for help, ignoring the stray branches slapping me across the face as I propelled my body through the trees.

Sakura screamed again, louder, as the crunching and groaning of a falling tree echoed in my ears. Seconds later, I found her lying limp on the forest floor. I collapsed to my knees by her side and trailed her unmoving body to see her foot lodged underneath the trunk of a tree resting on its side. I immediately shoved my hands underneath the trunk and tried to lift the massive weight off of her, but to no avail. I wasn't strong enough.

My eyes widened in sheer panic as I realized I couldn't free her. I wasn't strong enough. I wasn't—

Lightening illuminated the sky, casting an enormous shadow in front of me to reveal someone—no, something—was standing behind me. I turned on my knees, with a kunai in each hand pointed toward the Tengu standing before me. His deep crimson eyes gazed down at me from behind his red mask as he leaned over to reach a clawed hand towards Sakura's face.

"Get away!" I screamed and lunged towards the monster. It evaded my wild swings easily. I was too panicked to land a single blow. After pushing myself into even further exhaustion, I stood over Sakura to protect her the only way I could. If he wanted to get her, he'd have to get through me first. "You touch her and I'll roast you for dinner," I said through clenched teeth.

The Tengu took two steps forward, closing the small amount of space between us, and shot out one clawed hand to send me toppling over the fallen tree and onto my back. As I crashed to the ground the back of my head slammed against something hard. I saw white and then the Tengu standing over Sakura. Slowly he bent down, claws reaching towards her. My heart jumped into my chest as the world warped and then faded to black.

* * *

_Sakura. Where are you? _

I couldn't open my eyes. The darkness pushed me down so deep. I couldn't find my way out.

_Sakura, where are you? _

_Where are you?_

I pushed back, hands splayed out before me against the black wall holding me down.

Sakura. Sakura.

"Sakura!" I screamed as I sat up. My eyes were open, I could tell, but I couldn't see anything around me. I rose to my feet as my head screamed in protest. Suddenly, a hand clasped my shoulder. I gasped and turned around with fists held high.

"Naruto, it's me!" Sakura exclaimed, her face illuminated by the small lantern in her hand. "It's ok. You're safe."

All the weight of the world bled out of me when I grabbed Sakura and pulled her into a hard embrace. I pressed my face into her shoulder and said through painfully clenched teeth, "I thought I lost you. I thought—"

Sakura stood motionless for a brief moment before wrapping her free arm around me to soothingly pet my head. "I'm ok, Naruto. I'm safe," she crooned. I could hear the apprehension in her voice. I forced myself to let her go, although keeping one hand firmly planted on her arm.

"Where are we?" I asked shakily. I'm not sure I wanted to know. "I can't see a thing."

"You're in my cave," a deep, soft voice answered.

My eyes widened as I recognized the Tengu's voice. "You," I said the word like it was poison in my mouth, "Why'd you bring us here?"

"The girl was hurt, you were lost. Leave now. The storm has cleared," the Tengu replied quickly from within the darkness.

Before I could ask the Tengu why he helped us, Sakura interjected with, "Please, we don't know this mountain. We'll never find our way back to the temple this late at night. Can you show us the way?"

"Sakura," I whispered to her, "are you insane? This thing—"

"-saved our lives," she snapped. "You know we'll be lost for days before finding our way back—if we find our way back at all."

Shuffling from deep within the darkness grew closer. The dim light from the lantern revealed the Tengu now standing before us. Its looming form seemed to meld with the shadows. Only the bright red mask glistened clearly inside the cave.

"Follow me," it murmured as it glided past us, "I will guide you back to where you belong."

Sakura and I exchanged hesitate stares before trudging on. Sakura took one step and stumbled forward. I caught her in my arms before she fell.

"Are you ok?" I asked hastily, my eyes squinting against the dimness to see where she was hurt. Then I realized… "The tree, it fell on your foot." My chest tightened. There was no way her foot wasn't broken, if not shattered. I shuddered and threw her arm over my shoulder.

"T-Thank you, Naruto," Sakura mumbled. I could hear the subdued pain in her voice. Hiking down the mountain wasn't going to be easy, especially for her.

"You know what?" I began as I bent my knees and leaned over. "Jump on my back. This'll be easier on you."

"What?" Sakura stammered. I'm sure her face was flushing bright red at the thought.

"I bet our feathered guide is already outside by now. This'll be faster anyway."

"But—"

"Sakura, please."

A moment of silence washed over us before she sighed deeply and hopped on my back. For a second, I felt triumphant until I lifted her and my head swoon violently. Radiating pain shot through my skull like lightening.

"Are you ok?" She asked quietly, her warm breathe tickling my neck. Crap. I could feel my entire body suddenly burn up.

"I-I'm fine," I mumbled, embarrassed as hell. My mind was in the gutter and at the worst possible time.

I took a heavy gulp and followed after the Tengu. The cave opened up to reveal a night sky lit with countless stars and a large full moon. We weren't nearly as high on the mountain as I feared. I looked down and saw a faint light deep inside the forest. A smile found its way onto my lips.

"The temple is right down there," I sighed with relief. "I can almost see it."

"Things look differently from above, Naruto, so don't get any ideas about running off. We won't be able to see the temple once we get down there," Sakura warned. Ok, so ditching the Tengu wasn't an option.

"Sakura, Naruto," the Tengu called. I was surprised it said our name. It felt sort of wrong coming from behind the mask. I carefully made my way down the rocky slope towards the Tengu below. Its long black hair shined under the eerie moonlight like silk as it stared at me with watchful red eyes. It should've looked creepy, but, oddly, he—no, I mean _it_ looked almost noble.

A few minutes later, we were walking side by side. The Tengu noticeably shortened its naturally long stride to compensate for Sakura and I. I watched it carefully, trying hard to ignore my pounding headache.

"You're not like the Tengu I've read about," Sakura began quietly. I turned my head to look at her questionably as she continued, "You're very big for a Tengu and you must be strong considering you had to have been the one to lift that tree off of my foot. Thank you, by the way."

She's insane. I wanted to tell her not to talk to the thing in case she accidentally flipped a crazy switch. But saying something like that was almost guaranteed to piss it off.

"I am not like my brothers," it replied. "I am strong, yet I am flawed." The Tengu raised its one bony wing weakly to only let it shudder back down.

"Can you fly?" Sakura asked. My eyes budged at her incessant prodding. Is she trying to get us killed?

"Barely," he breathed.

"What happened?" She continued. Damn it, Sakura. You're not its therapist. Hush before we get a talon in the face.

The Tengu turned to look at Sakura, its red eyes boring into hers. I don't know what she saw in those orbs of crimson, but she wasn't afraid. Not even a bit.

"I was born wrong. Always wrong," the Tengu murmured. "Long ago, a dragon came to my flock demanding a sacrifice. In order to quell the fearsome beast, my flock offered it a single egg. When the dragon devoured the egg, it sat in its belly and suddenly began to hatch. I was born from that egg and tore my way out of the dragon's stomach. Its blood washed over my body, giving me strength and vitality. Yet," The Tengu stopped walking to stare deeply into to Sakura's eyes. "I grew too much, too strong, too large. My wings could longer carry me through the sky. My brothers abandoned me here many, many years ago. I was alone in the darkness for so long, my wings began to rot."

"I was born wrong, always wrong," he repeated. "I had nothing until the songs came to free me from solitude."

"The songs?" I titled my head and turned to face him. "You mean the prayers and mantras the monks chant every day? Is that why you come to visit the temple in the morning, to listen to the monks?"

The Tengu bowed his head and replied soberly, "I have only this, only this. Their voices led me out of despair. I was filled with shame, disgusted by my own tainted form. Yet no matter how dark my nights were, no matter how lonely my days became, the songs were always there. The voices rising together as one gave me peace…gave me hope."

My heart ached for him. He was an outcast, abandoned by his own family because he was different, because he was "wrong."

I can relate, I thought bitterly.

"You must have been so lonely," Sakura said gently.

"Always, always," he murmured as he continued to walk ahead. My lips pressed into a hard line as I followed behind him.

Damn. This job was getting weirder by the second. A monster who likes Buddhist chants? Well, I guess it's better than him snatching people off the streets to toss in the mountains.

But what's going to happen when he doesn't want to leave?

"Tengu," Sakura addressed him, her voice suddenly colder than before, "We'll have to kill you if you continue visiting the temple." The Tengu and I stopped dead in our tracks.

"S-Sakura," I gasped. My eyes quickly shifted back to the Tengu to see he wasn't trying to rip our throats out. I was surprised to see his gaze filled with…aw, crap. He looked sadder than a kicked puppy.

"I know," he said, "I know."

"Even if you kill us before we kill you, more agents will come until you're destroyed. Do you understand?"

Sakura wasn't sugar coating a damn thing. Yet, the Tengu remained calm. He simply nodded.

"But let's say," Sakura whispered coyly, "You stayed in this forest and hid yourself from human eyes; well, I don't see why you couldn't continue living here."

"You will allow me to stay on this mountain?" he asked, voice hitched with surprise.

"Naruto and I never found you after we got lost in the storm. How about that?" Sakura said with a sly smile.

My jaw dropped. Sakura was violating every single rule in the book.

And, damn, I loved her for it.

"You can listen in on all the chants you want as long as you stay non-violent and don't let anyone see you. If you become a problem again, we'll be forced to return and then I can't help you." Sakura warned, "The FCA doesn't even give first chances, let alone a second one."

"I will miss visiting the temple grounds," the Tengu murmured gloomily, "But I'm not ready to die yet. I want to listen to the voices more and more. My question has not yet been answered."

Sakura and I titled our head simultaneously as we both asked, "What question?"

The Tengu seemed to smile behind the scowling red mask as he replied;

"Can a creature of darkness be led towards the light?"

* * *

Sakura and I paused to take one last glimpse of the Tengu before he disappeared back into the forest, which was now, officially, his home. I smiled and turned to walk into the temple grounds.

"Did we do the right thing?" Sakura suddenly asked me as we headed towards the building with our rooms.

"I don't know, but," I laughed, "I feel good, you know?"

Sakura chuckled. "I think I feel good too. You can let me down now." I bent over and let her slide off onto her feet. She wobbled, but managed to hold her balance.

"How's your foot?" I asked. She said she was feeling 'good,' but I knew better.

"It hurts like no tomorrow, but I'll live. Do you think Sasuke is ok?" she replied.

Hm. I forgot all about that grumpy lump on a log.

"He's Sasuke Uchiha," I grumbled. "He's fine. I'm sure he's sleeping like baby, not even worrying about—"

I was interrupted when suddenly something hard came crashing against my right cheek. I stumbled backward and fell on my ass with a heavy thud. My eyes frantically scanned the grounds to find the perpetrator responsible for throwing a damn rock at my face.

Sasuke Uchiha stood a few feet away hunched over, panting heavily, with his arm extended in the air after humming one of the temple stones right at me.

"Are you trying to knock my damn teeth out?" I yelled furiously as I shot up to my feet. It's not like my headache could get any worse.

Without replying, he came stomping towards us. The closer he got, the more I saw how banged up he was. He was covered from head to toe in scraps and dirt. Even some twigs found themselves logged in his hair. His eyes were boiling black pools of tar as he stared us down. I never saw Sasuke look so angry.

He stopped in front of us, breathing heavily as he said with contempt, "I looked _everywhere_ for you two. **Everywhere**."

Sakura and I just stared at him, astonished by Sasuke's flustered appearance.

"Do you understand, you idiots? I searched every damn inch of this mountain and I—" he stopped to run tense fingers through his knotted hair, before releasing a heavy lung full of air. "Never mind. This is pointless. Where's the Tengu?"

"We don't know," Sakura lied. I was surprised. I thought she would let Sasuke in on our little tirade. But then again, Sasuke would sooner hunt down the Tengu and kill him himself before letting the poor bastard continue living here. "I could have sworn I saw a large shadow overhead, flying east out of the forest. I suspect it left this mountain range. Having FCA agents on his tail must have been enough to scare him off."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he replied, "To be sure we'll stay a few days longer. If it doesn't return, we'll assume it agreed to our conditions. I don't want to waste any more time on this ridiculous mountain."

With that Sasuke turned and stomped towards our rooms. Yeah, he was pissed.

"He said he looked for us and did you see how beat up he is?" Sakura said in astonishment.

"Maybe the jerk does care," I laughed, imaging a frustrated Sasuke tearing up the mountain, looking for his team mates. He must have been up for hours. It almost of made me feel guilty for not telling him the truth. Almost being the key word here.

I looked over at Sakura and beamed.

"Let's get you to your room so we can patch you up." I said cheerfully. Today may have been a weird day, but it was ending on a pretty good note.

After splinting Sakura's foot and immobilizing the break, we passed out. I don't know about Sakura, but I dreamed about the Tengu.

He was flying high above the mountain peaks towards the sun. Higher and higher. Yet, no matter how close he got to the light, he didn't burn.

So, someone, anyone, tell me please…can a soul drench in darkness be led towards the light?

* * *

Author's Notes:

This chapter about Tengu was suggested by one of my readers, which thank you, whoever you are, for the great suggestion. Tengu are wonderful subject material for a story like this. Please review and tell me what you think. I'm still accepting suggestions for future monsters as well.


	3. Chapter 3: Part One

Fiends: Chapter Three

Part One…

I've never lost anyone before, because I was alone from the beginning. I'm an orphan taken in by the FCA when I was just a baby. I remember wondering around Head Quarters, hearing stories about monsters that were very possibly underneath my bed. No one was there to check for me, so I had to suck it up and peek underneath my bed every night until I finally decided if something wanted to eat me, I couldn't do anything about it. Let it come. I'd give it a good fight. Yeah, that was the mentality of a little kid raised in a world where the boogey man was as real as the closet it hid in. I had two rules to live by: One, don't talk to strangers and two, don't look too hard. Because if you looked hard enough, you would find a monster. They were _everywhere_.

I only stopped being afraid when I was taught I could fight back.

And I only stopped feeling like I had to fight alone when I met my teammates for the first time.

I was ten years old when I entered the academy. I failed the entrance exam horribly and shouldn't have been allowed into the school, but the supervisors pushed my application through anyway. What else would they do with me?

"Naruto," Kakashi Sensei said, his hand resting on my head as I clung behind his leg. Ok, so I was shy before bursting out of my shell. "This is Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. They'll be your teammates from now on." I glanced at the girl and boy standing before me, but averted my eyes quickly. It was the first time I met anyone my age.

"Nice to meet you, Naruto," the girl's voice sounded so friendly. I looked up to find her right in my face. Our noses were almost touching. I gasped and stumbled back, cheeks flushing red hot. I'd never seen eyes so green, so bright. Kakashi laughed as I scrambled back to hide behind him.

"He's so skittish. Is he scared of me?" Sakura murmured. I frowned deeply at the thought. I wasn't afraid of monsters, so why was I so freaked out by a girl?

_She's pretty_, I thought suddenly. I shook my head, freeing myself of the unfamiliar thought. With a deep inhale, I stood up tall and slipped out from behind Kakashi. _I'm a big boy_, I cheered inwardly. I'm not afraid of some pink-haired little girl.

I opened my mouth to say some form of crude greeting, but my tongue suddenly felt as dry as the mid-day sun. I couldn't get any words out. I just sort of stood there, staring like an idiot with my jaw hanging.

"Freak," the boy named Sasuke sneered. "I'm going back to homeroom." That was the first thing Sasuke Uchiha said to me. He was cold and dark with even darker eyes. We didn't like each other the moment we met. After he called me a 'freak,' I lunged at him and tried to punch him in the face. Hey, I was shy, not a push over.

Nine years later, Team Seven was a well-oiled, if not dysfunctional, monster-stopping machine. Sasuke and I still hate each other and my immature fear of Sakura turned into something very, very different. I realized only a few weeks after meeting her that I had a crush on her. My crush grew and grew, until one day, without even realizing it, I had fallen in love.

I never had to feel the pain of losing someone, because I was alone most of my life. It was a four year old me looking under my bed and in my closet for the monsters that went bump in the night. There was no one to comfort me when I was too afraid to sleep in the dark, yet too proud to leave the light on. No one to read me bed time stories. No one to tuck me in.

Boo hoo, who cares, right?

I grew up tough because I was alone. I'm strong. I can handle myself _by myself_. And wasn't that better? I think so.

Because I imagine losing someone is much more painful than never having anyone at all.

* * *

"A griffon?" Sakura said with a heavy dose of skepticism.

It's been two months since we tangled with the Tengu. While Sakura's broken foot healed, Sasuke and I were sent on over a dozen missions. Most of them were wild goose chases brought on by less than creditable sources. Those cases were put in the Who-Gives-a-Crap filing cabinet, until Sasuke and I were ordered to clean the cobwebs out. At least until our team was whole again, we wouldn't be assigned any real missions.

Finally, Sakura was healed and rearing to go. Team 7 was ready and more than eager to get back onto the field. Now, here we are, sitting in Iruka Sensei's office being briefed on our next mission. Sakura, thankfully, was included.

"Yes, a griffon," Iruka Sensei repeated as he slid a folder towards Sakura. I was excited to finally see Iruka again. He was a tan, robust man in his late forties with dark black eyes and a deep scar running across his nose, cheek to cheek. I was excited because he was my first teacher and no matter how much of a mess I made in his class, he never once gave up on me. He was a good teacher and an even better role model.

"Um…what's a griffon?" I asked sheepishly as I leaned forward in a thick leather chair. Sakura and Sasuke shot me the most uninspired glares.

"Really?" Sakura groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You never paid attention during the Foreign Creature lectures."

"I didn't see the point," I defended myself. "All those monsters live in different countries. Why should I worry about them if I'll never see them?"

"You're an idiot," Sasuke said dryly. "You should be prepared for anything."

"Sasuke's right, Naruto," Iruka began sternly. "At least about the second part," he amended. Iruka gave Sakura a nod and asked her to enlighten me.

"A griffon is an extremely powerful creature with the body of a lion and the head, wings and front talons of an eagle. They're said to be one of the purest, most noble beings alive. Griffons dedicate their extremely long lives to guarding evil and protecting the weak."

"So, wait, griffons are good guys?" I asked.

Iruka nodded before adding, "Yes, griffons are creatures of high intelligence and nobility. They're one of the few supernatural species that the FCA does not have to worry about."

"Then why are you asking us to hunt one down?" Sasuke questioned.

"We're not." Iruka corrected, "The griffon, Ambriel, has been guarding the grave of an Itsumaden for the past twenty years along with its mate. Sadly, Ambriel's mate died three days ago. He is overcome with grief and has been shirking from his duties. This particular Itsumaden is an extremely dangerous spirit. If the grave is not taken care of properly, it will rise and once again terrorize the land."

"Itsumaden are created when a person of purity is purposefully allowed to starve. The neglected spirit comes back as an enormous bird with the tail of a snake, capable of breathing fire. But, Itsumaden only terrorize the one that neglected them in their life. Why is this one so dangerous that it needs a griffon to guard its grave?" Sakura asked. Iruka leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. His eyes filled with heavy consideration before he began to explain what happened almost twenty years ago.

"There was a terrible drought in the far north, plaguing nearly half the country. Thousands of people starved to death because the government refused to help the public by properly distributing resources. The spirits of the starvation victims melded as one to create the Itsumaden, which then burned countless cities to the ground. Since it was the government that allowed the victims to die, the Itsumaden terrorizes the whole country. If it wasn't for the agent that shot the Itsumaden down, there would be nothing left." Iruka stood up slowly and leaned over his desk to stare determinedly into our eyes. "If the Itsumaden is allowed to resurrect itself, it will not hesitate to burn this country to the ground."

Sasuke spoke up, his voice cold as ice, "Why send an inexperienced team like us on such a serious mission then? If the country is at stake, shouldn't a more qualified team be sent?" I could tell Sasuke hated the words coming out of his mouth. He has his pride, but he's not stupid enough to think Team 7 was the best choice for the job. Knowing that was the truth didn't make him feel any less pissed or any less inadequate.

"You only need to care for the grave. Perform the daily purification rituals and give Ambriel a much needed break. Ambriel will not abandon his post. He's grieving the death of his mate, which for griffons is like losing a part of their soul. Griffons mate for life. Even after one dies, the other will live the rest of their existence alone. It's this aspect of griffons that make them Christianity's ancient symbol of a holy marriage. If you can imagine, Ambriel is having a hard time focusing on the daily task of purifying the grave."

"So, we go out there, comfort the eagle-lion thing and purify the grave till Ambriel feels better?" I said, slightly annoyed, "How long will that take?" A monkey could purify a grave, so why even send FCA agents? Send a damn monk or Shinto priest.

"What does it matter?" Iruka began, voice low with annoyance. "Team 7 will stay as long as it's necessary. The FCA owes Ambriel a great deal for his service. He left his home country to guard the grave when no one else would. Now, get going. Here's your train tickets." Iruka passed us a small enveloped and sighed, slipping back into his chair. "Once you reach your destination, you'll need to hike through Tadasu no Mori forest. There's a map inside the envelope with your tickets. We've also downloaded a GPS into each of your phones. The location of the grave is remote and difficult to find. If you get lost, refer to the map and GPS."

Sakura, Sasuke and I rose from our seats. "Dimissed," Iruka announced as he waved us to leave. You'd think we'd have some form of salute. That'd make the FCA seem more official to me. And slightly less lame.

Before Team 7 slipped out of the office, I paused to address my sensei. "Come visit me when you're done work, ok, old man?" I grinned widely.

Iruka Sensei narrowed his eyes and replied, "Shut it, Brat. I'll be over when I can. Now, _dismissed_."

My grin widened with excitement as I followed my team home. It was late afternoon when we finally left HQ. Iruka Sensei was recently away on a very important mission on the other side of the country. I hadn't seen him in over three months. I wouldn't say I missed him or anything mushy like that. I just really wanted to hear about his adventure hunting down a pack of Kitsune. Kitsune are a species of Yokai or fox demons that create madness or mischief wherever they go. They can transform into anything using their extremely powerful magic. They're not only dangerous, but intelligent and organized. They live in hierarchal packs where the Kitsune with the most tails and the purest coat is chief. There's never been a case where a Kitsune is not rogue. The FCA put out an extermination protocol on each and every one nineteen years ago, considering all the demons want is to destroy or terrorize man-kind. Kitsune are at the top of the FCA hit list. Only seasoned agents get to tangle with them. I couldn't wait to hear what Iruka Sensei had to say about his mission. I could only imagine the fight between his team and an entire pack of fox demons.

Sakura, Sasuke and I arrived at our house and started packing. None of us seemed pretty eager to get going. Well, except Sakura. She was humming and fluttering around the house with a big smile on her face.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" I asked as we dropped our luggage by the front door.

She smiled and replied happily. "Naruto, we get to meet a griffon. They're so rare and mysterious; no one even knows how they're born or how they die. This is an opportunity for us to not only interact with one, but we could get some answers as well. Imagine what we could learn from Ambriel?" Sakura's bright green eyes glistened with enthusiasm and wonder. I couldn't help but smile and get excited as well. I'd never seen Sakura so eager.

Every day was bliss if I could see her smiling at me. Sakura had no idea I cared about her so much. I'm sure she figured out by now that I have feelings for her, but she doesn't know its love. I don't blame her. She's never had eyes for anyone. Well, except Sasuke. The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth. For the longest time Sakura had a crush on Sasuke. It was only recently that she stopped swooning over him. I suppose she gave up after Sasuke giving her and every other girl the cold shoulder. But I could see her sometimes, staring at him. The faded longing in her eyes burns me in ways I can't really explain.

But right now, she was smiling at me. No one else. Not him. Not that damn Sasuke. This moment was for me and, hey, that made today bliss.

"The taxi's here," Sasuke said, breaking me out of my day dream. Sakura grabbed her luggage before I could and sauntered out of the house. I picked up my bags and followed behind her, my heart a little bit lighter than before. Even Sasuke's interruption couldn't ruin my good mood.

The twelve hour train ride was bearable. Only because Sakura filled our time with griffon 101. I never knew people had favorite monsters. By the time our train stopped at our destination right outside of Tadasu no Mori forest, I knew everything she knew about griffons. Which was hardly much at all. There were hundreds of theories on the griffon, but there were few facts to rely on. No one knew where they came from, how they're born or how they die. Even their diet is a mystery. The FCA doesn't consider their species a threat simply because griffons have never done anything besides guard evil, so that the good may be protected.

After we hopped off the train, Sakura wasted no time. She turned on her phone and downloaded the grave's location into her GPS. A few seconds later, Sasuke and I were following Sakura who was eagerly bulldozing her way into Tadasu no Mori forest.

"We have to cross a stream in about half a mile," Sakura began muttering to herself. She may have been addressing Sasuke and me, but she wasn't really talking to us. She was too busy trying to find short cuts in the route. "Then we follow the stream down river for thirty minutes and then head north south for another mile. We'll come across a grove of fig trees. In the middle of the grove is an open patch where a three hundred year old fig tree is located. The grave is buried underneath." Sakura smiled widely. "We can cut across the forest and our hiking time will be down by half."

"Should we really be taking short cuts?" Sasuke asked dryly.

"Yeah, Sakura, maybe it's best we stick to the route," I added nervously.

Sakura shot us a glare that had us shutting our traps. Even Sasuke knew when to pick his fights. Sakura was hell in a hand basket when she wanted to be.

As the day inched on, we found ourselves surrounded by fig trees.

"We're close," Sakura squealed excitedly.

The grove thinned out as we pushed towards the middle of the forest, where a large clearing of healthy grass glistened in the sun like a shimmering sea of green. A gentle, sweet breeze danced over the field, whispering as the leaves of a massive fig tree shivered in the wind. Rays of warm afternoon sun light kissed the earth, brightening everything around us to crystal clear hues. Resting in the cool shade of the fig tree was an enormous figure. A long, feline tail flicked back and forth as Team 7 slowly approached the Itsumaden's grave.

I'd never seen a creature like this before. The griffon rested his large, eagle-like head upon two talons as he stretched out the rest of his feline body. His wings of chestnut, shimmering with the undertones of gray and gold lifted high into the air, paused a moment to let the breeze cut through his feathers and then rested back down unto his sides. He turned slightly to open one somber, yellow eye to gaze at us. There was no interest behind his stare. He simply acknowledged us and then went back to sleep.

"Ambriel?" Sakura addressed the griffon nervously as she stood before him. His eye reopened to simply close again. Sakura bit her bottom lip and continued, "We are the FCA agents sent to help you take care of the grave. Please relax. We'll handle everything from here."

"I wish to sleep," Ambriel's deep voice seemingly made of velvet came from every direction. His voice was echoing throughout the entire forest, yet it didn't sound loud. It was but a whisper, but I bet I could have heard him from a mile away.

"The grave has yet to be purified today or yesterday or the day before," he continued. "Or the day before….Ever since she faded." Suddenly Ambriel's fur stood on end as each, singular feather flared. Both yellow eyes were open now. I could see a battle behind the amber orbs. He was trying not to lose it, but there were pieces of him crumbling behind the shadows.

Iruka Sensei was right. Ambriel wasn't taking his mate's death well. Not at all. Just as I was ready to see a griffon completely lose his mind, Sakura's arms were wrapping around Ambriel's thick neck, her face burying into his mane. Sasuke and I were shocked as Sakura crooned in Ambriel's tapered ear.

"You're not alone. We're here for you, Ambriel. My name is Sakura Haruno," she began gently. Ambriel's eyes were wide and filled with confusion, shook, pain, and lost. "I've lost someone before too. I'm sure we all have. You don't need to face this suffering alone." Sakura leaned away to look into Ambriel's gaze. "Please, get some sleep. We'll handle everything from here. If you need anything at all, just ask."

Ambriel's eyes softened as she pulled away and stood up to introduce Sasuke and I.

"This is Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki." Sakura smiled.

"Hello," I managed. I was still trying to get over Sakura hugging Ambriel so suddenly. He was an enormous bird-lion-monster thing and she just hugged him. I knew Sakura was brave, but damn. Even I wouldn't get too close to one of these guys.

"Let's start the purification ritual," Sasuke said sternly. He wasn't wasting anytime. I didn't blame him. The air around the grave felt heavy and thick. Whether or not it was Ambriel's grief making the atmosphere bleak was a good question, but no one wanted to risk the Itsumaden's resurrection.

I dropped my luggage on the ground in front of my feet and bent over to pull out a large bottle of peach O-sake consecrated by a Shinto priest. Itsumaden graves needed to be purified with fruit wine and a prayer of prosperity or peace, so that the neglected spirit of the Itsumaden may no longer fear starvation. Most Itsumaden graves needed to be purified maybe once every few years, but this one, considering its strength, needed to be taken care of daily. Sakura produced a small slip of paper from her pocket and motioned for me to cleanse the headstone standing in front of the fig tree near Ambriel's talons. I felt uneasy as I walked towards the beast. The stone was as tall as my waist and was nearly half a foot thick. It was polished and gleaming with the words, "Itsumade, Itsumade?," which translate as "How much longer? How much longer?" When an Itsumaden flies it constantly shrieks these words in a voice so loud and piercing it is said to make people of great sin go deaf.

Just as I started to pour the alcohol over the headstone, Sakura began to chant a prayer in a gentle, soothing voice.

_Upon this shattered ground, let there be healing_

_ Let there be peace_

_ Upon this hungry soul, let there be fulfillment_

_ Let there be peace_

_ Upon this sorrowful day, let there be joy_

_ Let there be peace_

_ Upon this grieving heart, let there be closure_

_ Let there be peace_

…_  
_

For every verse Sakura spoke, I poured more and more O-sake upon the grave. The air surrounding the clearing began to soften, as if we were wiping the atmosphere clean. Sasuke burned incense after the purification was over. It only took five minutes, but it somehow felt like I had run a marathon.

I looked over at Sakura. She was breathing a bit heavier than before, sweat dripping from her forehead.

"Purifying the grave makes you weak," Ambriel murmured, his voice still blooming around us. "Rest."

Sakura and I gazed at each other and decided to sit down as Sasuke lit one more stick of incense before joining us.

"So, this is why the FCA wanted us to do the job and not some priest or monk," Sakura said quietly, "Purifying the grave takes a lot of physical strength as well."

"I suppose," Ambriel replied soberly. "Where shall you three stay when night comes?"

Crap. I hadn't thought of that.

"Where are we going to stay?" I asked.

"I brought two tents," Sasuke answered. "We'll be staying here until we finish the job."

I smiled widely at the thought. "I've never been camping," I said enthusiastically.

"This isn't a vacation."

"So? Let's enjoy ourselves a bit," I replied to Sasuke's comment happily. "I bet Ambriel's never been camping properly either. We should make a big fire and roast hot dogs or something. Huh, I wonder what roasted figs taste like!" I glanced over and smiled at the beast. His slanted, intelligent eyes seemed less than intrigued.

"Idiot," Sasuke sneered.

Jeez, everyone was such a downer today. Oh, well, Sakura was in a good mood. Maybe together we could lighten things up. Despite my less than inspiring attempts, the mood was staying in the mud no matter what I did. Sakura was exhausted from the purification and frankly, so was I. Everyone decided to set up for bed early.

All I remember was lying down. The moment my head touched the pillow, I was out. I never slept so hard. It felt strange, like I was falling into the darkness. Deeper, deeper. As if I would never reach the bottom.

...

...

* * *

...

...

Screaming. Who was screaming? No, the better question was, who wasn't? Everywhere was filled with the cries of suffering. Darkness illuminated only by the dying embers of coals greeted me as I stumbled through the village now decayed and broken. This place was once my home. At least, I think it was. Humble shacks with sturdy thatched roofs loomed on each side of the muddy, sloppy path that cut through the village square. My chest heaved as if I was breathing tar instead of air. Legs too thin carried my withered body forward.

"How much longer?" I whispered through dry, cracked lips. "How much longer?"

My empty, weary eyes looked ahead to find the village square infested with walking skeletons much like me. No, they were people. My people. My friends and family. They were shuffling about, crawling, pulling and tearing at the ground and sky, crying. Crying. Crying.

How much longer? How much longer?

_**How much longer will I be neglected?**_

Suddenly, I was awake, arms reaching out before me with fingers splayed towards the night sky sprinkled with stars and a single crescent moon. I was breathing air again instead of tar. My body didn't feel so heavy, so weak. I was strong again. I was me again. My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I have no family. I'm not from some broken village. I'm here, lying in a field inside of a warm sleeping bag. Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha, my teammates, slept inside their tents just a few feet away. I didn't want to sleep in the same tent as Sasuke, so I decided to sleep under the stars. I'm ok. I'm not starving. I'm not surrounded by screams. I'm safe.

I sat up and rested my head in my hands with my elbows on my lap. Cold sweat dripped off my face and back. I was soaked in fear and adrenaline, my hair matted to my skull. My dream of screams and darkness felt so real. Yet, I didn't feel like me. I was someone else. I was in a village, surrounded by starvation and pain.

I wasn't me. I wasn't—

"Are you ok," Ambriel suddenly appeared before me, his yellow eyes glowing in the dim light of night.

"You'll wake up Sakura and Sasuke with that megaphone voice of yours," I said quickly.

"Don't worry," he began as he rested on his back legs beside me, "Only you can hear my voice right now."

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. "You speak using telepathy? I guess that explains why you sound like your everywhere. It gives me a bit of headache if you want me to be honest." I smiled sheepishly and sighed. "What are you doing up?"

"Sleeping at night seems like a waste when the sky is clear," Ambriel replied as he raised his massive beak to the heavens. His eyes reflected the stars like a mirror as he gazed into space. I could only imagine what he could see with those yellow orbs. "Sophia always loved nights like this."

"Sophia?" I asked. "Is that your mate?"

He simply nodded and continued to stare into the night. He seemed cold. No, he seemed abandoned.

"You had a nightmare, yes?" Ambriel questioned, his eyes suddenly boring into mine.

I was surprised. "Yes, I did, I think. It felt more like a memory really. But I was in a village I've never seen before. It felt wrong."

"You were possessed by the spirit of the Itsumaden. It took over your dreams to let you see its suffering," Ambriel began. My eyes widened in shock as I doubled over.

"What?" I gasped, still trying to stay quiet as Sakura and Sasuke slept soundly in their tents.

"The Itsumaden's spirit can still connect to the living if you let your guard down. It is a powerful entity. Tell me, what did it show you?" He asked.

I bit my lip and stared down at my hands resting in my lap. "It—it showed me a village, starving, broken. I could hear people screaming. I was screaming. It was more horrible than words. I don't know why, but everything was so dark. So—"

Ambriel slowly raised his wings above his head and wrapped one around me tightly, pulling me towards his side. I was paralyzed with shock as he pressed my body into his fur.

"Uh," I began shakily, "What are you doing?" His feathers were soft as I was enveloped in the warmth of his fur. His muscular side rose and fell like gentle waves as he breathed quietly.

"It is a hug," Ambriel replied as a matter of fact. "That pink female gave me one when I was upset. Such a strange gesture made me feel better. You are upset, so I shall hug you until you feel well again."

Ok, I can see now why the FCA doesn't consider griffons a threat.

"Um, Ambriel," I laughed nervously as I politely pushed myself off his side. "I'm good, thanks."

He replied with a triumphant nod, believing he had done right by me. Which, I guess he did. _Griffons_. Damn, they're weird monsters. No. Now that I think about it, they're not monsters at all.

"You'll stay, right?" I began, "You're not going to return to your home country?" It was an important question. Sakura and I only purified the grave once and it felt like we were put through a meat grinder. I couldn't imagine we'd be able to keep this up for much longer.

Ambriel's beak opened to release a deep, mournful sigh. "Yes," his voice echoed in my ears, "I will stay here. I must always stay here. Sophia would want that."

A thick silence filled the night air as I patted Ambriel's flank hard. "You miss her a lot, don't you?"

"Much more than I can endure," he whispered, stood up on four massive limbs and returned to lay under the fig tree in front the Itsumaden gravestone. Even though he was farther away I still could hear his voice loud and clear inside my head. "Rest well, Naruto."

I smiled lightly. It was a sort of sad smile. One I wasn't use to. I decided I didn't feel like sleeping that night. I stayed up and watched the stars creep across the dark sky. I was scared to close my eyes, for fear I'd see more of the Itsumaden's nightmares.

I sighed and leaned back onto my palms. Being born into the world with no parents, no family, no friends; It almost made me feel good to know I started out alone. Ambriel lost his mate. The neglected spirits combined to form the Itsumaden lost whole villages, filled with their loved ones. Maybe I was better off not having anyone at all. Could I handle losing someone I loved?

"How much longer?" A familiar voice whispered. I shot to my feet, eyes wide as I stared at Sakura who appeared silently behind me. "How much longer?" She repeated in a tone so weak and shattered, it sent chills down my spine. Her once bright green eyes were now dull and faded as she reached towards me with crooked hands.

"S-Sakura?" I muttered, throat suddenly dry as the air around us turned to dust.

"Move!" Ambriel's voice bellowed inside my skull so loud I feared it would burst. Sakura suddenly lunged forward, her hands wrapping tightly around my throat.

"How much longer!" She cried as her grasp tightened. I gasped for air as we rolled across the grass. I tried desperately to untangle her hands from my throat, but she wouldn't budge. My face felt fiery hot and then bled cold as all my blood fought for oxygen to find that none was coming.

"Sak—kura," I choked on her name as her empty eyes stared into mine. Those weren't her eyes anymore. They were the eyes of someone long forgotten. Someone broken. Someone starved.

Ambriel was above us, his enormous shadow blotting out the night sky as he flapped his wings hard, sending Sakura and I tumbling over each other and onto Sasuke's tent, yet her vice grip stayed strong, leaving me half unconscious as Sasuke erupted from the shambled tent with his gun held to level of his eye.

"N-no," I rasped. _Don't, Sasuke. Don't._

_**Don't!**_

_****_"How much longer? _How much_-"

He pulled the trigger. The night echoed with the blast of a gun shot just as my mind faded to black.

_Sakura_, I inwardly screamed her name before I fell into unconsciousness. I can't endure losing the one I love. Not now. Not ever. In that split second of clear horror, I realized I did have someone. I didn't have family. I didn't have parents. But I have her. I have Sakura.

And now, someone may have taken her away.

* * *

Author Notes:

Chapter Three is broken into two parts. Someone suggested I do a chapter on griffons. This one is for you, whoever you may be. To answer someone else's question (you know who you are), I will be using mostly Japanese folkloric monster and spirits, such as Yokai or yamabushi. I'll add a foreign monster every now and then to spice things up. Well, thanks for reading everyone! Please review and tell me what you think.


	4. Finding Sasuke

**Finding Sasuke**

"Where is Sasuke Uchiha?" Iruka Sensei asked, slamming his hands on his desk with a loud thunk!

"We don't know," I answered quickly. Sakura and I stood with our arms pressed to our sides at attention. We were fifteen years old then, confused and still far from graduating at the academy. Our teammate, Sasuke Uchiha, suddenly went missing. All of the sensei and staff at the academy were scrambling to find him after he didn't show up to morning lectures three days ago.

"Did he tell you anything that might explain his disappearance?" Iruka Sensei pried. "Sakura, you were the last one to talk to him."

Sakura's lips flattened into a hard line. Her eyes were darker than usual as she hadn't slept since Sasuke disappeared. "He doesn't talk much," she murmured softly, "but, he said he needed to become stronger. I don't know what he meant, but he left to go back to his dorm right after that. I haven't seen him since."

"Is there anything else?" Iruka asked.

"She told you everything already, you pushy old fart," I snapped and folded my arms. Back then, I had a bit of an attitude problem towards people of authority, especially when they messed with Sakura.

"Old fart?" Iruka's brows furrowed as a large vein in his forehead bulged. "You're lucky I'm too busy trying to find Sasuke. Otherwise, I'd make you run laps, you pushy little brat."

I stuck my tongue out at him and sneered. "Dismissed!" He yelled as he pointed stiffly out his office. Before I slammed the door behind us, he called, "If you hear anything, report to me immediately."

"Everyone's so upset over Sasuke skipping a few days," I began to complain as Sakura and I made our way back to class. The day was almost over, but Iruka Sensei demanded we didn't leave school early. Man, I was itching to ditch. It was just another Foreign Creature lecture. Such a waste of time.

"Sasuke isn't ditching. He's missing, Naruto," Sakura corrected. She pushed past me, smacking my shoulder against hers. "He's not anywhere on school grounds. He's not at Headquarters. He's missing."

The sides of my lips twitched. It was annoying how Sasuke had everyone, especially Sakura, half out of their minds with worry. I swallowed my pride and almost choked on the frustration I shoved down with it.

"Sakura," I began as nicely as I could. Being nice to Sakura was easy, but being nice about Sasuke wasn't. "After lectures, I'll go out and look for him. I hate saying this, but you and I are the two people that know Sasuke best. Maybe, I can find the sulky jerk."

"Really?" Sakura turned and gazed at me with watery eyes. "Thank you, Naruto," she smiled, "I'll go with you."

"No," I replied instantly, "you go to the dorm and get some sleep."

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she placed her hands on her hips. "Hmp," she huffed, "I'm coming with you whether you want me to or not. I'm not sleeping till Sasuke comes home."

And there I go, twitching again. Damn Sasuke.

After sleeping through our last lecture on some weird western monster called a Banshee, I jumped up and charged out of the classroom. Sakura was right being me as we burst through the double doors of the level four building. I was determined to find Sasuke, because I wanted all the fuss to stop. I was tired of seeing every girl on campus passing out fliers with Sasuke's face plastered all over them, freaking out and sobbing every five minutes. And I was sick of being questioned by the Sensei. Sasuke this. Sasuke that. He had no idea how much he was pissing me off.

Was I worried? No. He's Sasuke Uchiha for the love of…wait.

Crap, I cursed inwardly. I think I just admitted to myself that Sasuke could handle himself. He's a big boy. I wasn't worried, because I knew Sasuke was strong.

Damn it.

"Where do we start?" Sakura asked. We looked at each other as we stood idly by the campus gates. Yeah, we knew Sasuke the best, but that wasn't saying much. I had no idea where to even begin.

"Uh…well, Sasuke's been gone for three days, right?" I began with little confidence. "He has to be held up somewhere, doing who knows what. He's never had issues with money, so he could have gotten a motel room, right?"

Sakura squared her shoulders and tensed. She wanted to say something, but it was hard, I could tell.

"Do you…do you think it's possible he was kidnapped?" She murmured.

I laughed. "Sasuke? I'd feel bad for anyone dumb enough to try that. Can you imagine some pervert trying to toss him in a creepy van? Sasuke would shove a tire down the creeper's throat and then impale him with pompous insults. He's fine."

She didn't look convinced. I sighed and grabbed her hand. "Let's go find our lost, rabies-infested puppy before it bites someone." I grinned and pulled her along.

We checked two motels right outside of the school grounds. I figured he wouldn't go too far, but neither of the directors saw an angsty fifteen year old renting out any rooms. Only after we left did I realize Sasuke wouldn't step foot in the roach-infested motels even if he needed a place to stay. He was the biggest clean freak I knew. So, motels were off our list. We called several hotels in the area, but came up empty.

"Ok, does Sasuke have any family in the area?" I asked as I flipped through a phone book chained to a brick sized payphone against a rusted coin machine, looking for any Uchiha's listed. Sasuke never talked about his family and I never bothered to ask.

Sakura's eyes darkened. "Naruto, you don't know?"

"Know what?"

She shook her head. "Sasuke doesn't have any living relatives. The Uchiha's were once a very influential political family until there was a terrible accident. Sasuke was only eight years old when everyone in the Uchiha main house died."

My eyes widened. "I never knew…"

For the first time I felt like I could relate to Sasuke a bit. We were both orphans. Both alone. I sighed deeply and ran a tired hand through my hair.

"Let's take a break," I breathed and started towards the sidewalk where it slanted and dipped down to a clear flowing canal. With a loud exhale I plopped on the cool grass and leaned back on my hands. I needed to think. Where would Sasuke go?

Sakura sat beside me, her knees pulled up to her chest. She hugged herself and stared at the water creeping by. I didn't want to admit it, but I was starting to think that maybe kidnapping was a possibility. If Sasuke didn't have any family or any apparent reason for leaving, then why would he just disappear?

All he said to Sakura was he needed to become stronger.

Stronger?

Wait.

I jumped to my feet and grabbed Sakura's hand, yanking her up to hit the ground running.

"Naruto!" Sakura gasped as she scrambled to keep up. "Where are we going?"

"Sasuke said he wanted to get stronger," I began quickly as we blazed a trail across the street towards downtown. "How does an aspiring FCA agent get stronger?"

"I don't know," Sakura snapped. "They go to class. They study. They practice during mock missions?" She tripped behind me but recovered as I pulled her through an alley between an old abandoned pizza parlor and thrift store.

"Yeah, normal people do that, but this is Sasuke we're talking about. He aces everything without even trying. The mock missions aren't a challenge. So, he's going for the real deal." I grinned at my ingeniousness and took a hard right down a lonely street that cut straight through the poorest part of town. The area wasn't flashy, but it was clean cut minus a few overflowing trashcans here and there. Small, humble businesses clung to the sidewalks like moss, decorated with old fashioned signs and yellowed banners. I liked this part of town. It had the most diners in the whole city. And it had the most monsters and creepy crawlies. Just the other day, a Yuri was reported stalking male prostitutes. Yuri are female ghost with an attachment to the living. They're fairly basic entities, but they get really nasty if they go rogue. Have you ever seen a corpse after it's been tossed over twenty miles through the air? It's not pretty, especially when it lands on the highway in the middle of the morning traffic rush. The FCA had the whole incident covered up. Said it was a sky diving accident. Ha.

"You don't think he's actually going to try a real mission on his own?" Sakura asked, her voice pitched with shock and realization. She may have asked, but she totally knew he would.

"He's Sasuke," I answered. "He's a smart guy, but he's arrogant." My chest tightened. Maybe I really do know Sasuke. I talk like I do at least.

"Where are we even going, Naruto?" Sakura asked as she yanked her hand out of my grasp. She came skidding to a halt as she glared at me with her arms crossed. "I get it. Sasuke is trying to get stronger by going on real missions. But even if that's true, where do we start looking?"

"I have friends in low places," my lips curled. "We'll find the biggest, baddest monster in town and find Sasuke along with it."

Sakura grimaced as my grin widened.

What can I say? I was excited.

I wanted to show Sakura that I was more than just some loser. I was a down right genius in my own way. If this works out, I should get a fancy plaque to put over my bed. Naruto Uzumaki, Genius Extraordinaire!

* * *

"Hey, my favorite idiot decided to come visit!" A toothy grin greeted me as I glared into a pair of sharp black eyes.

"And there's my favorite demon trainer," I grumbled. "Sakura, this is Kiba Inuzuka. He's the heir to the demon training gang that rules the underworld in the city." Sakura's eyes widened as she stared apprehensively at Kiba. He smirked confidently as he slumped against the front door to a dog grooming salon. In reality, the Inuzuka Grooming Company was actually a secret hideout where the family trains their assortment of demon canines. You could get a nice cut for your pooch and an equally nice cut right across your throat if you didn't play your cards right.

"You know, Naruto," Kiba drawled as he took a step toward us, teeth flashing brightly, "This is a _secret_ organization. You're not really supposed to go around telling your girlfriends about us. We are running a somewhat illegal business here."

Kiba was a tall guy for his age with spikey, brown hair and the attitude of an alpha wolf. Each cheek was decorated with a slender red triangle trailing his jaw line.

I bumped into him one day while his very terrifyingly strong mother was in the middle of beating the crap out of a rival gang leader. A few bloody moments later she grabbed his head and snapped the poor bastard's neck. After I witnessed that, I had two choices: Die or become an honorary member of the Inuzuka gang. Though I opted out of the signature red tattoos each Inuzuka had to sport, I chose the latter.

"Naruto," Sakura hissed in my ear, "What are we doing with demon trainers?"

"Don't worry," I scoffed. "The FCA knows about the Inuzuka gang. They allow them to do what they want because they keep the rest of the gangs in check." The FCA was often confused for some sort of police organization. Protect the good. Smite the bad. But it wasn't like that. The FCA strictly focused on keeping everything supernatural where it belonged. Nice and hidden, deep within the shadows. If you got hurt along the way, it didn't matter whether you were the victim or the perpetrator. As long as the general public remained ignorant of everything that went bump in the night, the FCA didn't care what happened behind the scenes.

"The Inuzuka gang is free to do as we wish," Kiba corrected with a scowl. "The FCA doesn't mess with us because they don't want _us_ messing with _them_." He flashed a toothy grin. "We'd send every agent running with their tails between their legs."

"Now, come on, Kiba," I waved his comment away. I didn't have time to fight. "We're looking for a boy named Sasuke Uchiha. He went missing three days ago."

Kiba's brow quirked as his eyes glistened with curiosity.

"An Uchiha? I thought that family died out but, Yeah, one of them was running around downtown." He smirked. "He was looking for a job. The creepy crawly kind."

Sakura rushed forward, grabbing Kiba's hands in hers. He flinched at the sudden physical contact as she stared into his eyes. "You saw Sasuke?" She rushed. "Where is he? Do you know? Is he ok?"

The sides of Kiba's lips drooped into a grimace as he leaned away. Every question resulted in Sakura pressing closer and closer. I slapped my hand to my forehead and grabbed the back of Sakura's collar to gently pull her back.

"Don't stare into a dog's eyes so closely," I sighed. "They get uncomfortable."

"I don't care who's uncomfortable," Sakura snapped. "He knows where Sasuke is!"

A small white dog popped its head out from Kiba's jacket and barked at Sakura. It was in the middle of July, but Kiba always wore the same gray jacket to keep his demon dog, Akamaru, hidden so he could carry the mutt wherever he went. Akamaru was just a pup, but damn could the little flea bag bite. I learned that the hard way when Kiba and I got into a fist fight over something stupid. I have teeth marks on my left buttocks to prove it.

"Down, Akamaru," Kiba commanded as he patted the pup's head. "The angry pink lady was just admiring my handsome face." Akamaru gazed up at his master with small slanted eyes. He barked happily and rested his head on Kiba's chest. Akamaru may be a demon, but you had to admit the little guy was sort of endearing.

"Please," Sakura began desperately. "Sasuke's been missing for three days now. We need to find him."

"Can you help us, Kiba?" I smiled, placed my hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "I'll lend you all my manga for a month if you help us find our sulky friend."

"Even the smutty ones you cherish so much?" Kiba needled.

My faced burned with embarrassment. I didn't look to see Sakura scowling at me.

"Yes," I groaned. "Especially those."

"Then we have ourselves a deal," Kiba slapped my back hard and grinned. "Who better to find your wayward pup than an Inuzuka? Ha! No one, that's who!" He gloated.

"Just tell us what you know," Sakura pried impatiently.

"Well, Pinky, aren't we touchy?" Kiba retorted, "That Uchiha kid was asking around town about any rogues in the area. He didn't seem interested in the small fry. So, an informant of ours truly gave him some information on this demon that's been terrorizing practically every gang in the city. The Inuzuka's haven't had any luck catching the bastard. We don't even know what type of demon it is. The Uchiha kid said he'd take care of it and ran off to where we believe is the demon's lair."

"You sent a fifteen year old to a demon's lair?" Sakura gasped and reached out to grab Kiba's collar in her fist. Akamaru growled lowly as Sakura glared into Kiba's eyes. "What were you thinking?"

"First off, I didn't send the kid anywhere. He paid for information and one of our guys gave it to him. He decided to run off like a lunatic. Now let go before Akamaru here bites your hands off." Kiba's eyes burned as Akamaru's black lips curled back to bare his assortment of sharp pearly whites.

"Sakura," I said and pulled her back, "Calm down. We have a lead now at least. Where is this lair?" I addressed Kiba as he flattened out his collar.

"You're manga better be as good as you say it is. I feel like I'm being hustled," he grumbled and sighed. "Go across the street. You'll find a manhole in the middle of the crossroads with a huge gash in it. That's where the demon enters the sewers. We believe it lives somewhere in the system underground."

"Great," I groaned. "Come on, Sakura, lets—" before I could say we should go back to Head Quarters and get the Sensei, she was already sprinting across the street. "Aw, crap!" I cursed.

"Seems we have another lunatic jumping into the jaws of death," Kiba said dryly as he petted Akamaru's head. "Good luck with that one, Naruto. She's a spunky thing."

"Shut it," I snapped at Kiba and ran after Sakura just as she pried open the manhole and leapt into the darkness below.

* * *

Hungry shadows and the stench of decay swallowed Sakura and I as we made our way into the heart of the downtown sewer system. My feet and pants were soaked in precarious smelling water and muck as I trudged through the darkness. Sakura pressed on ahead of me with a small flashlight her only source of illumination.

"We've been down here for hours, Sakura," I groaned. My voice bounced against the walls. "We should head back before we get lost."

"Not until I find Sasuke," Sakura stressed. "You can go back. I don't know why but I know he's down here."

I knew that was just Sakura clinging to the little bit of hope she had left. If Sasuke was down here, I doubted he was alive. I sighed and jogged closer to Sakura, grabbing her arm to guide her towards the walls of the tunnel.

"What?" She asked as I gently placed her against the mold covered concrete. The fact that she didn't fight me, proved what I had already known. She was exhausted. I could feel her shaking underneath my grasp.

"Sakura," I began sternly, "we need to go back. You're not going to last much longer in here and, if you pass out, carrying you through this crap will be half impossible. Please, we can come back tomorrow."

"It'll be too late then!" She yelled. Her voice bloomed around us to fade far off into the distance.

Crap. She shouldn't have done that.

A low bubbling hiss seeped from within the shadows, seemingly all around us as two bright red eyes glistened in the murky black. I didn't see what carried those crimson orbs. Honestly I didn't want to know.

"Run!" I screamed and grabbed Sakura's hand to pull her into a sprint. Our feet sank into the bog as we kicked up waves of green, oily slick water.

All I could hear was my heart pounding in my chest as I strained to listen for any signs of something following us through the dark. Whatever greeted us within the depths wasn't giving chase.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried. "Naruto, stop!" She yanked away from my grasp and bent over to gasp for air. "Weren't we looking for the thing that might have taken Sasuke?" She rasped. "We find it and then what? We run? What if Sasuke was back there?"

"Damn it, Sakura!" I raised my voice as I lashed my arm out to cut the space between us. "If Sasuke is back there, he's _dead_. The space between that demon's eyes is thicker than the two of us put together. Imagine what the rest of its body looked like? What are we supposed to do against a thing like that? I'm not risking it. I'm not going to lose you!"

Sakura backed away, eyes wide and glistening with tears.

"So, now what? What are you trying to tell me?" She started as tears trickled down her face. "I get it, you know. I lost him. I lost Sasuke." With that she collapsed to her knees within the murk as she sobbed into her hands.

My chest tightened as her cries echoed around me. She looked so broken. So fragile. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.

"_Damn it, Sasuke_!" I screamed as loudly as I could. Sakura's head shot up, shocked by my outburst. "Stay here, Sakura." I demanded. "If you don't stay here where it's safe, I'll feed Sasuke to that demon myself!"

And there I went, rushing back towards the demon's lair, leaving Sakura behind. Kiba would call me a lunatic leaping into the jaws of death and hey, I would agree whole heartedly. I'm insane, but that's love.

"You better be alive," I whispered between clenched teeth, "For Sakura's sake."

It wasn't long before I heard the hissing slithering out of the shadows. I didn't slow down though. There was no point. If I was going to face this thing, I had to do it fast. I pulled out a kunai from my back pocket as the eerie taunt grew louder and louder. Agents in training weren't allowed to carry weapons, but I managed to snatch a few here and there. Gotta have hobbies, right?

The round, crimson eyes opened before me as a voice coated in malice whispered.

"Another treat from above," it crooned. "Another screaming, twitching mass for me to savor."

Great. Not only was I dealing with an enormous, muck loving demon; I was dealing with a homicidal one who also happens to enjoy eating people alive.

I stopped only a few feet away from the beast still hidden in the black.

"Hey, there," I flashed a wide grin. "Have you seen my puppy? He's about this tall with black hair and black eyes. Oh and he's got the attitude of a great white shark. I'm sure he's been down here playing in the mud. You know how puppies are. They just love making a mess." I laughed a bit too nervously as the eyes began to sway back and forth. The demon started to smile wider and wider, oh god and wider still, flashing an almost impossible amount of teeth spanning from wall to wall. It's boiling, lava eyes seemed overflowing with delight as it answered.

"Yes, I've played with him for many, many hours. He's fun, fun, fun." The demon chuckled. Well, it sounded more like a wrench tossed into the engine of an eighteen wheeler than a chuckle if you asked me.

"It's great you enjoyed yourself," I tried to say without choking on the words. This whole situation was far from great. "But I'd like him back now, please. He's in need of some serious discipline."

The demon's smile flipped instantly into a scowl so fierce it sent shivers down my spine.

"Mine!" It bellowed. "My fun, my toy, my treat. _**Mine**_."

Damn it.

Suddenly, I was thrown through the air. A split second passed before I slammed into the ceiling of the tunnel, but it wasn't over with that. I was flung from side to side, up and down. My body slammed mercilessly against the walls, until I all but forgot where I was. Every inch of my body screamed as I was thrashed about like a rag doll. The air was knocked out of my lung countless times as I uselessly struggled to breathe.

Whatever was flinging me didn't even need to grab me to do it. Finally, the pummeling stopped. I floated in the air, held up by an invisible force as furious red eyes gleamed right in my face. My head swooned viciously as the walls around me swirled. Even though I was half unconscious I knew perfectly clear that I was dead meat.

This was it. And damn it, I never even had my first kiss.

I fought against the darkness, kicking my legs feebly as I stared into death's hungry eyes. For the first time in my life, I was so full of terror that I couldn't even breathe. No, I didn't want to die. I couldn't. Not yet. Not yet.

"I don't want to die," I rasped with such a low voice I doubted I even said it out loud. My eyes fluttered as a bright blue light flickered in the darkness between the demon's eyes. As my world faded to black, a deep unfamiliar voice murmured from within.

_**Fool**_.

* * *

"Naruto, Naruto, please. Please wake up," Sakura's voice called to me. My eyes opened to the dimness of the sewers. I was still in that hellish place and damn it all, Sakura was with me.

"Hurry…" I coughed. "Run. The demon's here. Its—" I cringed and hugged my ribs as Sakura held me to her chest. All I felt was the creak of my body, bruised and broken.

"The demon's not here, Naruto. I don't know why, but it's just gone." Sakura said. "Can you stand?" She asked. I glanced around us to find nothing but empty tunnels. No red eyes. No crescent grins. She was right, but how? Why?

I didn't bother thinking about it as I stumbled to my feet.

"Sasuke might still be alive," I breathed. "The demon was playing with him."

Sakura's brow furrowed as she clapped a hand against her mouth. "Oh please no," she murmured, her voice muffled and filled with despair.

It wasn't a very hopeful situation, but when was it ever? Sakura grabbed my arm and threw it over her shoulder. She quivered beneath my touch as we shambled forward, deeper into the demon's den. Somehow, the air felt lighter. Though, the stench was still unbearable. The demon's miasma was practically gone, as if burned away.

Whatever happened while I was passed out, it was nothing short of a miracle. Maybe the demon just got bored. Maybe it was crazier than I thought.

Sakura and I suddenly stopped as we both saw the crumpled figure slumped against the tunnel wall, curled up and smothered in muck.

"Oh, Sasuke," Sakura cried as she released me to go running through the sewer towards him. He was unconscious and covered from head to toe in wounds. If his chest wasn't rising shakily, I would have thought he was already dead.

"Finally, you jerk," I sighed and joined Sakura as she sat him up and leaned him against her shoulder.

"Naruto, he's barely breathing," Sakura panicked. "We need to get him out of here."

"Don't worry," I smiled weakly. "I came this far to save the bastard. I'm not going to let him die here." I grabbed Sasuke's wrist and pulled him onto my back as Sakura helped position him comfortably. He'd lost a massive amount of weight after only three days. The idiot probably was too busy finding trouble to eat. And he said I was stupid.

"B-Brother?" Sasuke murmured weakly. I thought I imagined it for a moment until he continued as if in a trance. "…Brother, I-I'll get…stronger. I swear." He coughed faintly against the nape of my neck as he cascaded back into the depths of exhaustion.

My lips pressed into a hard line as Sakura and I went back the way we came. Sakura didn't say a word until we scrambled up the ladder and out of the manhole to collapse in the street above.

My cheeks pressed into the cool cement as Sasuke lay limp on my back. I didn't care. I could hardly move. Sakura was stretched out next to me, breathing heavily as we savored the fresh air.

"I didn't know…" Sakura whispered. I opened my eyes to see her staring at me, tears flowing down her face. "I didn't know he had a brother. I didn't know he felt such a need to become stronger. He almost died trying to…" She bit her lip and sat up. I didn't move. I just stared at the sidewalk as Sakura continued. "I don't know a thing about Sasuke. Not really." She wiped her eyes. "Naruto, I'll go get help. You stay here, ok?" I glanced up at her and replied halfheartedly.

"I can't really move," I laughed. "So, I don't have much of a choice."

Sakura's eyes darkened as she forced a weak smile. "Thank you, Naruto." She leaned down and placed her lips on my cheek. She paused a moment to let the warmth ripple through my entire body before pulling away. "I lost him and you brought him back."

It was a bitter sweet moment to say the least. I grinned and pushed myself up. Somehow I found the strength to flip myself over to grab Sasuke. I placed him down next to me and collapsed back to the ground.

"Hurry before a car actually comes down the road and runs us over." I grinned. "I know it's the middle of the night and this part of town isn't popular, but hey, there's a first time for everything."

Sakura's eyes softened as she stood up. "I'll be back as soon as I can." With that she was gone.

She'd be back after finding a payphone nearby. Sakura would have half the FCA coming to our rescue. I chuckled at the thought and turned my head to stare at Sasuke.

He was facing me, eyes shut tightly as if fighting off a terrible nightmare. I felt like I was seeing him for the first time. Pale skin covered in bruises and cuts. His dark lashes shadowing the tired circles beneath his eyes. Sasuke looked broken. Literally and figuratively.

"Brother…" he whispered, voice rough from breathing the sewer air for god knows how long.

"I got you," I sighed and placed my hand on Sasuke's chest. "I'm not your brother, but I'm still here for your grumpy ass. You know what trouble I went through to save you?" I grabbed a handful of his shirt matted with mud. "Don't run off again, Sasuke. Team seven isn't really a team without you. I know you think you need to get stronger, but going on suicide missions isn't the way to do it."

Yeah, I know he couldn't hear me, but hey, I had to bitch at him sometime.

"Next time, fight me. I'll spar you until the cows come home." I inhaled deeply and softened my grip. "Just…" my mind began to fade "…don't make her cry again…"

The starless sky above warped as I felt a hand fall onto my chest. My eyes fluttered as I saw Sasuke gazing back at me weakly, his arm crossing over mine to clasp a handful of my shirt. He didn't say a word as we both faded into a dark sleep.

* * *

Sasuke and I were found passed out next to each other with a hand on one another's chest. Yeah, I wouldn't live it down, but neither would he. We spent a month in the hospital in the same damn room, forced to suffer the grueling process of healing broken ribs and several fractures limps. Sasuke didn't say much during our time trapped in the hospital. He just sat in his bed, staring into his hands. For some reason, I didn't say much either. I didn't even bitch him out.

"Thank you," Sasuke said suddenly as we both made our way out of the hospital double doors with metal crutches underneath our arms.

"Did Sasuke Uchiha really just thank me?" I laughed. "I never thought I'd see the day!"

"Shut up," he snapped. "I'll never say it again. But Naruto, I have a question." I looked over at Sasuke expectantly to see something I never thought I'd witness in my entire existence. Sasuke was blushing as he stared down at the ground. "When we finish healing, I want to spar."

I chuckled and smiled brightly. "That's not really a question, but yeah. Sounds like a plan. But watch out," I warned. "I've been practicing a whole mess of new moves to kick your butt with!"

"In your dreams, loser," he scoffed. I grinned widely and punched his arm.

"It's good to have you back, Sasuke."

And despite myself, I actually meant it.

* * *

Author's Notes

This is a very important side story that I added to separate parts one and two of chapter three. I'll be posting Chapter Three: Part Two this week! I'm very excited that this story has been received so well. I'm pleasantly surprised as well that my readers are actually participating in the development of Fiends. I decided to create the plot based mainly on the suggested monsters/entities readers post. Now, I have a much clearer main plot in line that I hope everyone will enjoy. Please keep suggesting creatures and review. Having the readers express their opinions really help develop the future of this story! Thanks for reading!

PS. I do enjoy the show Supernatural. Jensen and Jared are my idols. Although, I didn't realize Fiends would actually be compared to such an amazing show. That's the best compliment ever!


	5. Chapter 3: Part Two

**Chapter Three: Part Two**

_**Hahaha...**_

_What's so funny?_

_**Hahehe…You.**_

_What? Who are you? Why are you laughing at me?_

_**Oh no one really. And I'm laughing because your fears are so very human.**_

_You don't know what I'm afraid of._

_**Really, now? I don't? Then tell me, how does this make you feel…?**_

A gunshot echoed in my ears again and again till I felt as if I was drowning in the sound.

_I'm not afraid of guns._

_**I know. You're afraid of something much worse.**_

The blast grew louder and louder as waves of reality eroded the shores of darkness from behind my eyes. Over and over, till the image grew clear. Sakura was above me, unfamiliar eyes drilling into my own. She was crying. Her tears dripped off her cheeks and landed on my face. I could taste the salty bitterness of it. She whispered something with a voice so cold it froze the air in my lungs, but I couldn't hear her over the gun echoing in the void.

_Sakura, _I rasped. My throat felt dry as if I'd been swallowing dessert sand. My head swooned as I tried to focus on her voice. _What is it? Tell me what you're saying._

Her lips moved. Again and Again, repeating something like a prayer.

She leaned down and pressed her frozen lips to my ear.

"_You couldn't save me, Naruto. You couldn't save me—" _

My vision fractured into a thousand jagged lines. A piece of the darkness, outlined in an eerie gray light, crumbled and fell like glass. The shards blossomed as they crashed creating the blast of a hundred gun shots as each glistening slice shattered around me.

Then she was gone. I was gone. All I could see was red, bright and stark against the pale moon hovering in a sky so empty and dark it seemed to swallow me up.

I screamed.

Then there was Sasuke. His voice calling my name. Again and again. _Shut up. You shot her. Shut up. Shut up._

"Naruto."

_Shut up. Shut up!_

My throat burned.

"Naruto, Damn it, wake up."

_Shut up. Shut up. __**Shut up.**_

"That's it."

Suddenly, the darkness and pale moon shattered. I was thrown into the light of day with a punch to my chin. It didn't hurt. Nothing hurt. My eyes flashed open as I reached up with desperate hands towards the clear, blue sky above. It was too bright, too calm. This wasn't my nightmare. This was worse.

I knew what I'd find here.

"You bastard…" the words seeped out of my mouth like acid as I sat up. I looked through blonde, matted bangs to see Sasuke kneeling before me with Ambriel by his side. I lunged forward, tackling Sasuke to the ground. Our bodies hit the earth with a loud thud as I tried to shove my elbow into his ribs. My muscles were sore and stiff as I struggled to do as much damage to Sasuke as possible. It didn't even occur to me in my fit of white hot rage that I could kill him.

As I shoveled my elbow into his side, I used my other hand to press a sturdy palm to his chest right underneath his heart. If I pushed down hard enough and lifted up with all my strength, I'd tear cardiac muscles. Without even thinking, I was prepared to shred his heart from the inside. Something stopped me before I could.

Sasuke pressed his hand against the side of my head as he used his knee to flip me onto my back. In one fluid movement he twisted my arm into a lock as he grabbed my forehead and slammed my skull into the ground. The impact sent my mind swooning as the world warped.

"Don't you pass out again," Sasuke demanded gruffly.

"Sasuke," Ambriel murmured, "Don't be so rough. He's in pain."

"He tried to kill me, Ambriel, so shut it." Sasuke replied curtly. He was right in a way. I was going to kill him before I realized what I was doing.

"You—you shot her. You shot Sakura," I mumbled through the onset of nausea suddenly invading every fiber of my being. It took everything I had and then some not to throw up.

"Yeah, I shot her," He admitted without shame, his black eyes gazing down into my boiling blue. I lost it as I thrashed in his immovable grip. "But I didn't kill her."

I froze and breathed, "Where is she?" Sasuke huffed and released me from his hold. Just as he did, I plunged my fist right in his face. He doubled over and rolled with the impact to stop at Ambriel's feet.

"I said I didn't kill her," Sasuke spat as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"But you _shot_ her. Now, where is she?" I asked again as I wobbled to my feet. My throat felt swollen as a voice too heavy to be mine escaped my lips. "Damn it, Sasuke, where is she?"

Ambriel replied quickly, "She's underneath the fig tree. We have her tied to the trunk so she can't hurt anyone or herself."

"What? She's still possessed?" I asked. My stomach churned as my eyes shifted to see Sakura sitting motionlessly against the fig tree with her hands tied behind her. Thick ropes constricted her torso to the trunk as her head hung limply past her slacked shoulders. I wrapped my arms around myself and cringed at the sight. Taking a shaky step, I began to shamble my way towards her. My body felt so damn heavy. I guess that's what happens when you're strangled into unconsciousness.

I stood in front of Sakura before collapsing to my knees. Reaching out to grab her shoulders, I said quietly, "Sakura, are you ok?"

She flinched, but remained silent. An eerie moment passed before she lifted her head to gaze at me with faded eyes.

"How much longer," She hissed.

Sakura…

I shot to my feet and reeled my fist back to let all my fury explode into a punch. It landed against the trunk, shaking the branches. Leaves fell from above to dance around me as I panted. My chest felt constricted and tight as my mind raced.

Wait. Sasuke said he shot her.

I fell back to my knees to scan Sakura's body. Her ghostly eyes never stopped staring at me, watching carefully with the intent of a curious predator. Dark red flowed from the back of her arm where a small bullet hole glistened like a fresh black cherry pit.

"You didn't take the bullet out?" I asked Sasuke.

"The bullet is the only thing keeping her from being possessed any further," Sasuke replied coldly as he came to my side. He stared down at me as I examined the wound. It wasn't a clean shot. It should have gone straight through. _Must have hit bone,_ I thought grimly. How Sakura wasn't writhing in pain must be due to the Itsumaden's influence. "Every bullet has a purifying sigil carved into it."

"I know," I scoffed, "But it's also keeping the Itsumaden's spirit inside. If we take it out, it can leave her body. If we leave the bullet in, it's trapped."

"But if we take it out, it could continue to possess her even further. A possession works like a poison. It spreads throughout the whole body. The soul is the last piece to be invaded. After that, there's not much we can do. I stopped the Itsumaden's spirit from spreading. Our best option for Sakura is to exercise the spirit somehow." Sasuke continued, "But Ambriel says its possessing her through her dreams. It's not so much a physical possession. Rather it's something completely different. I'm not sure how we approach this properly."

"Damn it," I cursed as I dropped my forehead in my hands. My head hurts. I could feel a deep, throbbing ache rippling throughout my entire skull, like the tolls of temple bells. "How did it even possess her in the first place? I get it messing around with her dreams. Hell, it did it to me before it got Sakura. It shouldn't be strong enough to take over her whole body. I've never even heard of an Itsumaden possession."

"That's what I was thinking. This Itsumaden is powerful. It has toyed with my dreams before during times of spiritual unease, yet it's never been capable of something like this." Ambriel began, his yellow eyes filled with concern. "After my mate died, I stopped purifying the grave. I just couldn't continue, you see. My mind and heart were far away. Yet, it's only been a few days and the spirit has not shown signs of such malicious strength. Even in my grief I would have done something to prevent the Itsumaden from growing so strong."

"It tricked you." Sasuke said as if it was obvious. "Spirits, even ones sealed away, can possess humans if they're strong enough. My best guess is that the Itsumaden hid its power from you so you wouldn't feel the need to tend to the grave. It waited, patiently, for a human host to arrive before revealing its true strength."

Ambriel's glistening eyes narrowed at Sasuke as his feathers and fur prickled. A moment of anger passed, then realization hit the proud beast hard. He knew it was his fault. And looking at him now, I could see that burned. He bowed his head as he stared at the ground in crushing shame. I'd have felt bad for him. _Would have,_ if Sakura wasn't the one paying the price for his negligence.

"What must we do," Ambriel asked. His voice was softer than before. Deeper as it echoed somewhere far, far away. As if he'd found his own pit of darkness to writhe in as he spoke to us from below.

Sasuke reached his hand towards me. "Get up," he said, "I'll need you with me if we want to save Sakura."

Damn it, Sasuke. Don't be nice when I want to pummel you into the ground. Don't be the better person, the better man.

_But someone has to be_.

I wanted to kick my inner self for that. But my conscious was right. I was being the lesser man by panicking. If I wanted to save Sakura I had to be strong. I had to be composed. Damn it, I had to be more like him.

I grabbed his hand and he pulled me to my feet. I stood tall and tried not to wobble. This was my defining moment as a hero. Isn't that why I wanted to be an FCA agent so bad? I'd be the cool guy who saves everyone and gets the girl.

"What's the plan?" I asked. Usually, I'd ignore Sasuke and try to come up with my own plan. But I sucked it up this time. Sasuke was the better man right now. And no matter how much I wanted to be there for Sakura, she _needed_ the better man. Not me. Not yet.

"The possession started with a dream and then spread. You said it went after you before it attacked Sakura, right? Tell me everything you remember." Sasuke crossed his arms as we worked out the details.

"The dream felt real and I wasn't really me. I felt like someone else, going through some terrible memory. I woke up though. But even waking up felt wrong, like I was being _thrown_ awake. Does that make sense?" I rubbed my eyes hard with the heel of my palm as I tried to focus on the Itsumaden's nightmare.

"The Itsumaden rejected you as a host. I suppose that's the best explanation as to why you're not the one tied to a tree right now," Sasuke said. It made sense. Sakura said before that she lost someone, while I on the other hand never have. _Well, not before this._ I inwardly kicked myself. _No, I haven't lost her yet. _I felt like the Itsumaden was targeting a very specific side of me, a side that's ever felt abandoned or neglected. Yeah, don't get me wrong, I've felt like that before. Plenty times, but I always buried the feeling deep. Trying to force me to feel that way now must have been harder than the Itsumaden was willing to dig.

"Maybe if we try and wake her up, the dream will end and Sakura will be free?" Ambriel suggested.

"I shot her and she didn't wake up," Sasuke said grimly and shook his head. "Doing any more than that would kill her."

"Sasuke," I began lowly, my eyes boring into his, "you weren't shooting to kill, right?" Sasuke glared and replied.

"If I wanted to kill her, she'd be dead," he snapped. My eyes widened. Sasuke seemed genuinely insulted that I'd suggest he would kill his teammate. "She can be annoying, but I'd be…_troubled_, I guess, if she wasn't around." His lips flattened as his eyes shifted to stare at the ground.

I grabbed his shoulder and squeezed hard. "I'm sorry I thought you'd go so far," I breathed a sigh of relief. "It's just, I don't know…sometimes, you do things just…damn it."

"Shut up," Sasuke groaned. "We aren't going to have a 'moment.' Now, come on. I think I have an idea. Although, I'm sure you're not going to like it."

My lips creaked upwards like turning the cogs of a rusty watch. It wasn't my most inspiring of smiles, but considering I smiled at all in a situation like this had to mean something.

* * *

"A Baku," Sasuke said as we stared at one another.

"What? Wait, no. No way, Sasuke. Are you insane?" I gawked at the Uchiha as he ran his hand through his matted black hair. We were sitting with our legs crossed far away from Sakura on the other side of the clearing, hoping the Itsumaden inside her couldn't hear our plan.

"Ambriel said the Itsumaden is possessing her through Sakura's dreams. Rather, her nightmares. If we get rid of the nightmares, the Itsumaden will have nothing connecting its spirit to her. After the connection is broken, it should leave her body," Sasuke explained.

"Yeah, that sounds all good in theory, but getting a Baku involved is worse than suicidal," I retorted quickly.

"What better creature to deal with this situation other than a Baku? They eat nightmares like potato chips." Sasuke leaned forward and continued. "We'll summon a Baku, strike a deal and go from there."

My eyes narrowed at Sasuke as cold sweat dripped down my face. Baku are some hellish bastards. They're chimeric beast with the body of a leopard, the trunk and ears of an elephant and the bright, enormous eyes of an ogre. Some say Baku are born when a nightmare is so terrifying, it comes to life in the form of a beast that devours dreams and nightmares themselves. Baku were once thought to aid tormented souls to sleep by eating the nightmares that plague them, but they're greedy. If you let a Baku get a hold of you, it would devour _everything_. Your dreams, ambitions, and even your soul. You'd be left as a walking husk with nothing but base desires to rule your body.

"What kind of deal?" I asked.

Sasuke's eyes darkened into blackened pools. He stared me dead in the eyes and replied, "I'll give it my soul willingly. A Baku wouldn't be able to resist such an easy feast."

A moment of crystal clear silence passed as my brain tried to process what Sasuke just said.

"Are…You…Insane?" I stammered. "Sasuke, really? You need your soul. You can't," I exhaled deeply and rubbed my face with my hands. "This isn't funny if you're joking. And even less so if you're serious."

"People can live without their souls, besides…" Sasuke leaned back on his hands. I was shocked to see a light smile cross his lips. "I haven't really needed my soul for a long time now."

"Sasuke…" my chest tightened. "We'll find another way. This isn't right."

He raised his head to smirk at me, flashing a sliver of white.

"Do it for her, Naruto…._Do it for Sakura_."

* * *

My stomach lurched with a potent mixture of nerves and disgust as I lit a small wax candle and watched Sasuke lay down to place his head on Sakura's lap. Sakura watched him closely with her dull, ghostly eyes.

"Baku-san, take my nightmares away," Sasuke began to chant as he shut his eyes. "Baku-san, take my nightmares away…"

The small flame on the candle flared and flickered as the air thickened around us. I bit my lip and fought the urge to stop this whole damn thing.

"Naruto, it's time." Sasuke said, pausing a moment to look up at me_. How can he look so content? How is he ok with this? _

What happened to the rotten brat who only wanted to become stronger? I'd rather that guy right now than this.

"Sasuke, please," I begged.

He shook his head and grabbed my wrist.

"Don't back out now. She needs us," he murmured and pinched the wick on the candle to extinguish the flame.

I grimaced and looked away as a black trail of smoke rose to swirl into a dark vortex against the bright blue sky. It grew and grew as it swallowed up the light of day. Darkness fell as an eerie voice called from above.

"It has been so, so long since anyone has summoned me," a deep laugh crackled across the clearing. Ambriel flared his wings as he growled furiously. He didn't like our plan, but what other choice did we have?

"Don't you just hate the 21st century?" The voice groaned. "Humans use to summon me all the time, but." It sighed exuberantly, "either the morsels wised up or wised down. A shame, isn't it?"

Sasuke closed his eyes again and said, "Baku-san, take my nightmares away."

"Oh, well, isn't someone eager?" the Baku still hidden in the swirling smoke chortled. I didn't like this bastard's attitude. "Such a strange little summoning though. Usually, my morsels are already asleep. And what have we here?"

I could feel eyes of fire staring down at me, hungry and destructive.

"That girl isn't doing so good. Pity, pity. She seems to be possessed. Oh!" It gasped. "And by such a dreadful spirit! I wonder what her soul must taste like drenched in the sorrows of a creature such as an Itsumaden."

_Shut up, you sick bastard._

For a moment, I thought of the Kappa Sasuke shot down. I thought how it only killed those construction workers to protect its home. I felt like shit after that mission. Then I thought of the Tengu who loved Buddhist chants. I actually ended up liking that guy. Some monsters you thought twice about killing. But this annoying prick? If I could, I'd annihilate this Baku here and now. And you know what?

I'd be _ecstatic_.

"We aren't here just for your enjoyment," I snapped. "We're here to strike a deal."

"Oh, really now? A deal, a deal," it sang the words cheerfully. "Tell me, tell me. You're such a strange group of mortals. Oh and you're pet griffon is quite strange as well. Ha! The very fact a griffon is here is strange in and of itself. I'm sure you'll offer me an interesting deal. Speak, speak. _Quickly_. For the first time in over a hundred years I'm excited!"

_Glad someone's happy around here. _

I felt so angry. I wanted to spit acid.

"I'll willingly give you my soul if you devour this girl's nightmare," Sasuke offered. "I won't fight. It's an easy meal, don't you think?"

The soul is surrounded by a protective shell. A barrier, I guess. In order for a Baku to steal someone's soul, they must go through their victims mind and meticulously pick at every piece. It like peeling crabs to only come up with a little bit of meat after so much work. The soul can also get damaged, screwing up the 'flavor.' I shivered to myself at the thought. If Sasuke gave the Baku his soul willingly, it would be a perfect meal. No work with a completely intact soul.

I could feel the air light up as the Baku considered the deal with malicious joy.

"So, I may eat this girl's horrendous nightmare and I get your equally horrendous soul?" The Baku shook the earth with laughter. "What a deal! What a joy!" The black vortex exploded, sending smoke and ash through the air, poisoning everything around us with smoldering darkness. The Baku stepped out of the void, one enormous paw slamming to ground with the force of an earthquake. "What a meal," it exclaimed as the rest of its hideous form slipped out of the writhing smog.

"This was a bad idea," I whispered to Sasuke as my very soul quivered at the sight of the massive beast. The Baku towered over Ambriel as our fearless griffon flared his wings above his head.

"This was the only idea," he replied quietly. Even Sasuke stared in awe as the Baku took one enormous step towards us.

"Impressed?" the Baku asked with pride. "I'm rather awe inspiring, no?"

I wanted to gag.

"Do we have a deal?" Sasuke asked.

The Baku's enormous violet eyes glistened with delight as it threw up its trunk as if to wave Sasuke's words away.

"Hush, hush, impatient peon," the Baku needled. "This is a rather precarious situation. You see, your girlfriend here is trapped with a nightmare; that much is very true, yet her body is still awake. Thus, it's impossible for me to enter her mind without a certain—hm, what would you call it? Ah, yes, an escort."

"What does that even mean?" I asked as I glared into the violet orbs. I could see myself reflected inside them. Damn. I look like I've seen hell. Then again, I am staring into the eyes of a monster.

"Glad you asked, morsel," the Baku stared at me as if I was a double cheese burger. "You see, when the body is awake, the mind is guarded. Only those who share a deep connection can break through the barrier. I'm sure one of you holds such a connection to this girl, considering the trouble you're going through. I'll send one of you into her mind, which I'll be hitching a ride of course. Then, you must get this girl's inner self to let the barrier down. After that, its' simple. I eat, eat, eat."

"Only the nightmare," Sasuke sneered. "If you so much as touch her soul, Naruto here will shot Sakura and me and then himself. You'll be left with nothing but three useless corpses and a really pissed off griffon."

I held up Sasuke's glossy black gun and, damn it all, the cold metal felt so wrong in my hands. But I was prepared to do what I had to do. If the Baku did back out of the deal and attack us, we'd be better off dead.

"Oh my, you are strange mortals," the Baku breathed and leaned down to stare into Sasuke's eyes. "Ah, yes, you're serious. I see. Well, what have I to lose? No, no, I see I have so much to gain. Fine. A deals a deal."

"Then take me. I'll be your escort," Sasuke said as he leaned forward to glower at the Baku determinedly.

"Ha!" The Baku cackled loudly. "You have more of a connection to that rock over there than that girl. I can smell the distance on you. You lack the strings of fate that bring humans together."

What the hell is that bastard saying now?

"No," it corrected with a snicker, "you cut those strings a long time ago. Such a sad creature! What happened that's made you such a loner? What? Did mommy not love you enough? Or is it daddy issues?" The Baku bent down to sniff Sasuke, inhaling deeply as if he was enjoying the sweetest of flowers. "No, I see now," a wicked smile crept across the beast's face, revealing jagged canines and flattened teeth. "Big brother issues, Ha, how pathetic!"

"Shut up!" Sasuke lunged to his feet. I grabbed his arm and pulled him back. I'd never seen Sasuke lose his shit before. This was bad. I could feel him shaking underneath my grip as he shot smoldering glares at the Baku. His eyes were burning.

"Sasuke, calm down," I murmured. He yanked his arm from my grasp and shot me a vicious glare. I let it go. Whatever the Baku said, it meant hell for Sasuke.

I only remember Sasuke mentioning his brother once and well, he was unconscious and half dead after being tortured for hours by a demon. Sasuke's entire family died when he was only a kid. I assumed his brother died along with the rest of his relatives. I couldn't imagine what that could do to someone. So, don't ask, right?

The fact this Baku shoved Sasuke's own personal nightmare right in his face made the bastard number one on my hit list. When this was all over, I would find a way to kill this sick monster. The only problem is magic is the only thing that can kill Baku. And humans can't use magic. Not unless they sell their soul. Human souls are like magic buffers. So, humans who dabble in magic have to pawn off their soul one way or another. But losing one's soul is tricky. Your body could literally implode from the void left behind. If that doesn't happen, you could very well lose your mind. Other than that? If you managed to pass all that crap up safe and sound, you'd be left walking around with only base desires to rule you. And that was the best case scenario. I knew only one particularly lazy person that actually survived the painful extraction and lived to tell the tale.

"Such violence!" the Baku exclaimed. "I'll enjoy devouring your soul, little raven."

Sasuke's eyes widened at the nickname. I could see chaos swirling inside his black eyes. I imagined only a brother would call his little brother something so endearing as 'little raven.'

"Alright!" I yelled. "That's enough mental warfare, you big-eared bastard! Sasuke doesn't have the connection you need right? Well, what about me?" I stood tall and pressed myself towards the Baku. I wasn't afraid anymore. Hell no. I was furious.

The Baku snickered and inhaled deeply, tasting the air around me.

"Yes, oh my, you hold a very deep connection to this girl. How intriguing," it mused.

Sasuke looked at me, slightly confused as the Baku continued to air out all my goddam laundry for the world to see.

"Love is such a powerful connection," the Baku teased. "I can see the strings of fate tying your soul to hers. Oh, but it's such a sad affair, isn't it? You love her, but she doesn't love you. Not even a bit. How tragic! How woeful! You're even more pathetic than the lone Uchiha over there."

My teeth clenched as my fingers curled into fist.

"You're all alone. Even from the beginning. Hehe…At least the Uchiha had a family to lose! Hahaha—"

I grabbed the end of the Baku's trunk, cutting off its bellowing laughter, and pulled his face to mine as my body erupted with a fury I couldn't begin to control. A deep, smoldering fire coiled within me.

I sucked in a deep breath through clenched teeth. "No more talking," I growled. I didn't recognize my voice as it dripped with venom. "Let's finish this. When this is all over," my eyes narrowed, "Run, run as fast you can, because I will find you and you will _burn_."

It was such a strange threat. Burn? I was too consumed with rage to pounder my odd word choice. All I noticed in that moment was the Baku's eyes filled with peaked curiosity, as if it found something intriguing.

I turned to see Sasuke lowering his gun as he addressed me. "I'll be sure to help when that time comes."

I shot Sasuke an inspired, bone-chilling grin. It seemed he was prepared to shoot the Baku, knowing a bullet would only tickle the damn thing. Yeah, this monster had us so angry, neither of us was thinking. I released the Baku's trunk and focused on my breathing. The thought of Sasuke and I tearing this bastard apart kept me docile enough…for now.

"Heheheheh, you humans are so endearing. Ok, enough talk then. Be prepared, Na-ru-to," the Baku sang my name with glee. "Let's have some fun."

It sneered at the beast and suddenly, everything went black.

* * *

It was a dark, gloomy night filled with screams as I made my way through a dilapidated village. I was back in the Itsumaden's nightmare, but I knew who I was this time. My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I love ramen and dream of being a hero. I have no family, but I'm not alone.

Sakura is here, suffering, surrounded by the starved spirits lingering within the mirage cast by the Itsumaden.

My body felt heavy as I walked down a muddy trail. Tattered huts loomed on each side of the road as I strained my eyes in the dimness. Sakura had to be here somewhere. A tall, scruffy man with long, twig-like arms came shambling out from behind a lopsided shed. His eyes gazed at the ground as he trudged forward, crying loudly as he went.

"How much longer?" He sobbed. "How much longer?"

My stomach twisted at the sight as more sickly people came shuffling out of the darkness, their faces contorted with despair. No one seemed to notice me as they passed by. They were crying so loudly. Crying. Crying. _Screaming_. My head started to hurt. Be quiet, I begged inwardly. Please, I can't think. Stop screaming. Stop, stop, _stop_.

Where am I again? Why do I feel so heavy? I can't breathe. I can't…I'm so. I'm so…alone. Alone. Alone. Alone. Wasn't I always alone? When will I not be alone anymore? Haven't I suffered long enough? Someone, tell me…

"How much longer?" I mumbled weakly. "How much—"

"Na-ru-to," sang a familiar voice, "Don't lose yourself. Remember your name. Remember your goal. If you don't, you'll be lost in this nightmare too. Forever." The Baku's laughter cut away the remaining influence the Itsumaden had on me. I shook my head and clenched my teeth.

My name is Naruto Uzumaki, Damn it. My body lightened. I could breathe again. I was me. That was a bit too close. I sighed and forced myself into a light jog. I had to hurry and get Sakura the hell out of here.

I came to a skidding halt as I found myself in the center of the village square. Someone was huddled before me, rocking back and forth with their head tucked between their knees. Shivering hands knotted in a tangled mass of pink hair stained with mud as a weak voice muttered over and over.

"_How much longer, how much longer, how much longer, how much longer…"_

"Sa…Sakura," I rasped with a voice all but diminished with utter anguish.

My heart sank as I fell to my knees before her. I could feel the tears burning in the corners of my eyes as I grabbed Sakura and pulled her into a hard embrace. She didn't stop her panicked chant nor did she fight me as I gently untangled her fingers from her hair. Her arms went limp as did the rest of her body as I cradled her tightly.

I didn't look at her face. I couldn't. Damn it, I was a coward. What would I see in her eyes? I couldn't handle it.

"Sakura," I murmured, "I'm so sorry. I'm here now. I'm here."

"_How much longer, how much longer, how much longer, how much longer_…"

I began to pet her head as I lifted her to her feet. Shockingly, she stood with her body still pressed tightly to mine. "It's me, Sakura. It's your team mate. I'm here to save you, to take you home. You're ok now."

But her whispers didn't stop. I ground my teeth and braced myself for the ultimate torture. She had to see me. She had to see I was here. And that meant I had to look her in the eyes.

I lifted her head up and stared. She stared back at me.

The chants stopped.

Sakura.

Sakura.

My mind shattered as I gazed into her bright green eyes overflowing with tears. She looked so afraid, so abandoned. How much has she suffered?

"I-I'm here, Sakura," I pressed my forehead to hers and wrapped my arms around her neck. All my strength bled out as I felt her shoulders quiver. "I'm so sorry, Sakura. I'm so sorry."

"Is this real?" she whispered. "Is it really you?" Her voice was so soft, so hesitant, as if she questioned the very words escaping her lips.

"Yes, it's me," I said as I lifted my head with an exhausted smile. She had to know the nightmare was over. I knew it wasn't, but I would never tell her that. She didn't have to know about the Baku. About Sasuke's sacrifice. All she had to know was that she wasn't alone.

"No, this isn't real," she murmured and bowed her head. "I was abandoned a long time ago."

The chanting began again. "_How much longer…"_

My eyes widened. I grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Sakura, no! This is real! I'm real. Sakura, it's ok. You're safe now."

"What?" The Baku's voice entered my head. "You thought it'd be that easy? What an idiot! You don't understand anything about a woman's heart. They need to hear it flat out. They're foolish creatures. So insecure, but then again, so are males. Honestly, the entire human species is absolutely blunt."

"Shut up!" I screamed to the sky and looked at Sakura, my heart burning.

What could I do? How could I let her know she wasn't alone? How could I….

I gulped and knew what I had to do. It's now or never. She had to know how I fell. How I've _always_ felt.

I grabbed her wrist and pulled her close. My heart raced as I held Sakura tightly, my arms wrapped around her waist as I whispered in her ear over and over.

"I love you..._I love you_."

I chanted those words as if they'd save us both from the darkness twisting inside us. She had to know, as she drowned in the memories of the spirit possessing her, that she wasn't alone. She wasn't abandoned. She may not have known it, but I was always there...

"I've always loved you," I pressed my lips to her ear. My breath was hot as it brushed against her skin, leaving evident signs of blushing heat as I trailed down her neck. "Do you feel that?" I asked. "I'm burning up like a madman being this close to you. You make my heart beat so fast, I feel like it's about to burst. Sakura, this is _real_." I grabbed her hand and pressed it to my chest. "Feel my heart pounding? See? I would never abandon you. I would never leave you in this horrible place. I love you, Sakura. I love you."

"You…love…me?" Sakura whispered as she looked up, eyes glistening bright. I could see the nightmare fading away from behind her gaze. She was waking up.

"From the very start," I smiled and pulled her chin up to pressed my lips to hers. I kissed Sakura softly, over and over. And with every gentle peek, her eyes grew brighter and my affections grew hungrier. I wanted to show her more. I wanted her to feel everything I've held back all these years.

My hands lowered to her waist as I tugged her closer and closer. My lips suddenly moved over hers with a hot intensity I couldn't control. She was so soft and warm under my touch as she leaned into me, deepening our kiss. Her arms wrapped around my neck as she pressed herself closer. I thought it impossible. We released each other's lips as we'd both quietly gasped for air. I looked down at Sakura's blushing face and forced myself to stop before I plunged my lips to hers again.

"I…I'm sorry," I said hesitantly. My voice quivered childishly as I stared into her eyes.

Sakura touched a finger to her lips. Her blush darkened. I hadn't noticed, but the screaming stopped. The air was lighter. Even the darkness surrounding us had grown softer. The Baku was beginning to devour the nightmare as Sakura murmured, "I never knew you actually felt that way about me…"

I laughed softly and replied, "ever since I met you…You really never noticed?"

"No…you were always so cold. So distant."

What? My eyes widened in confusion.

"You know, I've had feelings for you for a long time, but you never paid attention to me," Sakura smiled and continued shyly, "Remember when you left Head Quarters? You went out to get stronger and found yourself a mess of trouble. I know I shouldn't have, but I felt like you abandoned me. I felt like I lost you."

What is she talking about? I never… No. Wait. Something was wrong. I didn't leave Head Quarters. Sasuke did.

The Baku's cheerful laughter echoed inside my head. "That was her nightmare I just finished gobbling up. And now, this is her dream. She sees only what she wants to see and, Naruto, that isn't you." The Baku's voice filled my mind so loudly it hurt, but I just stared down at my hands. My skin is so much paler than before. It looks like Sas—

"Sasuke," Sakura murmured. My eyes shot to hers as my heart sank. "I've always loved you."

I could see myself in her eyes, but it wasn't me reflected. Sasuke was standing were I should have been. Sasuke was…no. She never saw me to begin with. She only saw him, because she wanted him to save her. Not me. Not me.

Suddenly, Sakura faded away. Everything did.

"Sakura!" I screamed as I was plunged into the darkness. The Baku cackled loudly as I cascaded down, down, down.

"You really think she would have kissed you like that?" The Baku appeared from within the void to gaze down at me with violet eyes. "She likes the Uchiha. Not you. The moment she laid eyes on you, she imagined him instead. All those sweet, melodramatic things you told her. She didn't hear you. She heard precious 'Sasuke, Sasuke' talking."

I bowed my head, staring into the shadows. "Where is Sakura? Where am I?" I murmured. My voice was all but gone now. _I_ was all but gone.

"Sakura will awaken soon. You, on the other hand…heheh…You're still asleep. This is where I take my victims to when I wish to devour their _everything_. Dreams, ambitions and, of course, their soul."

"We made a deal," I replied. Not like I really cared. The bastard could have it all.

"Why would I want that Uchiha's worthless soul when I could have you? You were hiding quite the meal inside that body of yours," the Baku walked towards me, wrapping its massive trunk around my limp body. It pulled me close. "You have a great power inside of you. A great power, indeed, and I intend to eat it all."

I lifted my head up to look into the Baku's hungry eyes. "What are you talking about now?" I growled.

"You don't know?" it chuckled. "You can't feel the creature within you. It's quite angry right now. I can smell it, thrashing about. It must be mad that it's about to be eaten along with its worthless vessel."

"You're not making any sense." I turned my head away and narrowed my eyes. "Just make it quick, already."

"Of course," the Baku needled. "And when I'm done with you, I'll gobble up that Uchiha and your sweet little Sakura too."

My eyes widened as I turned to the Baku's grinning face. "No! You can have me! Leave them alone."

"And what's the fun in that?" The Baku lowered my body and started to open its massive jaws. I thrashed wildly as it brought me closer to it gnashing mouth. After everything, this bastard was going to push me further. I can't die yet. Sakura is still in danger. I have to do something. I have to save her!

_**Then let him burn.**_

Suddenly, I felt an explosive heat from within trail up my arm. A glowing blue flame shot from my finger tips and crawled over my hand.

I gawked as the living flame twisted and flickered over my skin. It didn't burn. What the hell was going on?

The Baku threw me from its trunk and backed away as I landed in the darkness on my feet. I stared down at the flames as they grew more ferocious.

"No, you can't," the Baku gasped, "A human can't control fox fire!"

Fox fire? I gazed into the hungry blue. The Baku turned to run. I looked up to see its hideous body beginning to fade into the darkness.

"No," I cursed. "You won't get away. I said I would burn you. Now…"

I lifted up my hand and splayed my fingers out towards the Baku as it looked behind its shoulder to see the fire springing forth. The fire leapt from my hand and erupted into a flame so large, it engulfed the Baku's entire body.

"_Burn_."

The Baku blackened as it bellowed in agony. Seconds later, its form collapsed and shattered into a dust bowl of ash. I don't know how I did it, but I killed the Baku.

_**Don't you mean we killed him?**_

My eyes shot open to see a bright blue sky above. I was suddenly awakened after hearing someone speak from within my mind. No, not from inside my mind. It was somewhere deeper. Somewhere close inside my body.

"Naruto," Sasuke's face appeared above me as he looked down with narrowed eyes.

For a moment, I actually didn't recognize him. I was too shocked to think. Sasuke grabbed my shoulders and leaned me up.

"Did the Baku hurt you?" Sasuke began quickly as he scanned my body. "Sakura woke up before you. I figured the Baku went back on his deal. Did he take your soul? Did he—"

I slapped a hand over Sasuke's mouth and replied coldly, "No, the Baku's gone. It didn't hurt me." My hand went limp and fell to my lap. Sasuke stared at me, eyes filled with healthy concern.

"What do you mean it's gone? I doubt he ate Sakura's nightmare and just left satisfied."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you," I snapped and rose to my feet. I thought I'd be shaky after everything, but I felt strong. Physically at least. Emotionally? I didn't feel a damn thing. I knew the Baku didn't take my soul. What happened inside Sakura's mind was far worse than that.

"Naruto, you're ok!" Sakura stood before me, but I wouldn't look at her. I kept my head bowed and ignored her as I walked over to Ambriel.

The griffon's wings opened up to me as he said cheerfully, "Naruto, you've awakened! We were so worried when Sakura woke up without you!"

I grabbed the griffon's beak and tugged his face towards mine with furious strength. Ambriel's yellow eyes opened wide as his wings slumped in astonishment.

"You keep that grave purified from now on. Team 7 is done here." I let go and turned on my heels to walk away. Ambriel didn't say a word as I stomped past Sasuke and Sakura to grab my duffle bag. Without missing a beat or even taking the time to fold up my sleeping bag, I began to walk out of the clearing.

Sakura came running up behind me. "Naruto, what's going on with you? What's wrong?" She asked and placed a warm hand on my shoulder. I flinched at her touch and stopped dead in my tracks.

What do I say to her?

"Do you remember anything?" I asked, my voice low.

"Ah, no, not really. All I remember is being possessed by the Itsumaden. After being trapped in the nightmare so long, I just blanked out. I don't remember you saving me. But Sasuke told me everything. You brought me out of there, Naruto. I'm sure it was scary, but it's ok now. You're safe."

Ha. She thought I was acting so strange because I'm scared? Traumatized, no doubt. But scared? No, I wasn't scared.

I was heartbroken.

I shrugged off Sakura's hand and turned to face her with a bright grin. "Yeah, I know, Sakura-chan," I said cheerfuly. I hadn't called Sakura 'chan' in a long, long time. "I was just freaked out is all. Can we just get out of here? I'll feel a lot better once we're home."

What was I supposed to tell her? What? That we kissed? That it was the most amazing moment of my life? That she actually imagined herself kissing Sasuke, not me? What! What should I say to her now? Should I tell her I love her? No, I'll shut my mouth, because, damn it, I'm not doing this anymore.

I forced an even wider smile on my face as I grabbed Sakura and pulled her into a warm hug.

"I'm just glad you're safe, Sakura-chan." I leaned away and looked over her shoulder at Sasuke. "Let's go, Sasuke! Ambriel can handle everything on his own now. Let's get back to the station before it gets dark. We can catch the last train of the day if we hurry."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as the black orbs filled with pity. Why the hell was he looking at me like that? Was it so obvious? I'm smiling, aren't I? Right? _Right?_

"Naruto," Sakura murmured as she wiped away a single tear dripping down my cheek. "Why are you crying?"

I leaned my head against the window as the train started to chug out of the station. Team 7 was on they're way home at last. The three of us hadn't said a word to one another since I panicked. After Sakura asked me why I was crying, I sort of lost it. Without any warning, I slapped her hand away and began bulldozing through the forest, desperately trying to find my way to the station. Even if I had to do it alone, I wanted to get away from that fig tree. From that damn grave. No, I wanted to get away from everything. Sakura and Sasuke chased after me until I nearly passed out from exhaustion. I don't know what I was doing. Sasuke ended up having to carry me on his back to the station.

I guess they figured I needed to be left alone, so they just let me sit quietly. Sakura and Sasuke sat next to each other across from me as I focused on the passing scenery. I tried to act normal and look what happened? I cracked.

Now, I just shut down.

Hours passed. We were almost home as Sakura fell asleep, leaning on Sasuke's shoulder. The sight of them so close made my mind swirl with so many dreadful feelings. I didn't even realize I was staring until Sasuke spoke up.

"What happened to you?" He asked. I turned my head quickly and ignored him. "You've been acting like a nut case since you woke up. You expect me to believe you're ok? I didn't tell Sakura anything about the Baku. I told her Ambriel could send your spirit inside her body to break the Itsumaden's possession. Considering no one knows what griffons are capable of, she bought it." I could feel Sasuke's eyes boring into my skin as he continued, "Did that Baku really just leave? Naruto, I'm far from stupid. What really happened when you found Sakura inside the Itsumaden's nightmare? You can tell—"

"Sasuke," I cut him off, "Once you get to Head Quarters, tell Kakashi and Iruka Sensei that I'm sorry."

"What?" Sasuke's voice hitched with confusion.

"After everything that happened today, I'm not going to continue being an agent. I can't and if you have any respect for me, you'll keep this to yourself until I'm long gone. Please, Sasuke, I _can't_." I pressed my forehead into my hand. "Just know that this is for the best."

I made my decision. Looking at those two now, Sasuke and Sakura would be fine without me.

I had other problems on my hand. Dangerous problems. Something was _inside_ me. I didn't imagine fox fire burning that Baku to a crisp. Whatever was inside me was powerful enough to use such ancient magic and I couldn't control it. What if I burned everything?

Right now, I felt like I could.

Sasuke leaned back in his seat with a deep sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head slowly in disapproval. Sakura stirred but didn't wake as she nuzzled lazily into his shoulder.

She has Sasuke. She doesn't need me.

I stood up out of my seat. Sasuke grabbed my hand as I made my way out of the booth.

"Naruto, you can't be serious," he murmured, black eyes staring into mine.

"Sasuke," I smiled lightly, "Take care of Sakura."

The train stopped as it pulled into the station. We were home. I gently pulled my hand away from Sasuke and walked down the aisle towards to exit. Before Sasuke awoke Sakura, I was already running out of the train.

Faster, faster. My legs screamed as I pushed them into the quickest sprint of my life. I didn't turn back to see Sakura running in the train to come bursting out of the door. I didn't look back to see Sasuke and her chasing after me. I tried not to listen as she called my name. Over and over.

I just ran. Out of the station. Out in the street and into the alleys of downtown. I ran and ran and ran .

And couldn't stop running until I knew I was out of their sight and, hopefully…

Out of their lives…

* * *

Author's Notes:

Well, another chapter down. Hopefully, I haven't offended too many people with my rather annoying cliffhangers. (sorry)

I know this chapter may have been a tad bit confusing, especially if you skipped Side Story: Finding Sasuke. But if anyone has any questions, just ask. I'll be happy to clarify anything! Things are about to speed up, so be prepared. Thanks for reading! I hope everyone enjoyed.


	6. Chapter 4

Author's Notes: Thank you everyone for all the reviews and awesome suggestions! Sorry if this chapter seems rushed! DX

Chapter Four

"Flames rise up higher and higher

Burning your foes is a living pier

Blue and contorted, it glows ever brighter

The angry, the hungry, and lonely fox fire."

"Really?" I groaned. "Will you shut it?" My eyes narrowed at the creature before me. A little gremlin bounced back and forth, a wide pointy grin accented with equally pointy ears. Blue, beady eyes stared me down with delight as the three foot tall humanoid danced and recited more of its ridiculous poems.

"Losing yourself every day

Trying to fight the flames away!"

"Can I cut its head off now?" I asked Shikamaru, my new partner in what I guess you'd call circumstantial crime, as he restrained the elfish creature with a long pole and noose. We were making our way through a back street downtown in the dead of night, taking turns dragging the little creep to the lab.

Shikamaru Nara is an old friend who was once a classmate of mine at the FCA, but, after the love of his life died during a mock mission gone horribly wrong, he quit the academy and became an alchemist. Alchemy is a potent mixture of debauched science and magic. In order for Shika to even practice alchemy, he had to get rid of his soul. Even though such a thing is forbidden, Shikamaru had his reason. And to me, it was a damn good reason indeed.

"Regretfully, I have to say no," he replied dryly and pulled the creature along. "I need the tooth of a fae for the potion. After that, you can chop the melodic nuisance to bits."

A fae or fairy folk is exactly what it sounds like. It's a creature born from the world of fairies, which are really just small pockets of worm holes in reality that form an unstable dimension consisting of creatures like this gremlin here. Creatures of the fairy world are distorted and, in every sense of the word, _unnatural_. Even the fae can't survive in the fairy world for long before the dimension itself devours them whole, so the fairy folk abandon their place of birth. And where do they go? Well, some teleport from dimension to dimension, but usually they end up here. Apparently, this is the place to be. Where all the fun is had! Bullshit, right?

The elfish little bastard laughed manically and stared at Shikamaru. I hated this particular class of fae. It was a gremlin or rather a brownie. These annoying tricksters love milk and reading people's minds so they can throw all your mental issues right in your face in the form of lovely little poems. It makes the intrusion of personal information even more so homicide-inducing.

"Soulless human with hands of red

Loves a girl who's awfully dead!"

The brownie shook with laughter at his own twisted joke. Shikamaru didn't even flinch. Soulless or not, I would have punched the bastard. But then again, you don't really get your feelings hurt without your soul.

"Peon," Shika said to the fae, "if I had a soul that would have made me really angry. I probably would have ripped you in two. Maybe, but then again, who knows? Naruto here will get mad enough for me."

I flashed a wicked grin filled with devilish delight. "Oh, trust me, Shika. I'm brimming with anger. Oh and that fire you were singing about before, little fairy, is more than willing to burn you to ash."

For the first time since we caught the brownie, it shut its trap. Although, it didn't stop reading our minds. You could feel it digging inside your memories. Felt like an itch you couldn't scratch. Damn, it was annoying.

Finally, we were at the entrance to Shika's lab, which seemed to be a brick wall at the end of one of the least-visited alleys in all of downtown. Even gang members knew better than to come down this rabbit hole. Shika has a habit of setting up traps that, well….let's just say you don't bounce back after being teleported to the sun. Shika was one hell of an alchemist, but he was an even better mage. Honestly, he was good at anything magic related if he tried. Thing was, getting Shikamaru to _try_ was harder said than done. Soul or not, he was and still is the laziest guy I know.

"Open," Shika commanded dully as he raised his hand up to the bricks. The wall glistened with a ghostly silver sheen and warped before disappearing to reveal a metal door covered with warding sigils and anti-magic tracking circles. Shika has his fair share of enemies that would die to find his lab. Even the FCA would jump at the chance to sneak a peek at Shika's experiments. I wondered if the FCA was still even looking for Shikamaru. I knew for sure they were still looking for me. It's been six months since I left and damn it. Head Quarters wasn't sparing any expense trying to track my ass down. I was hiding out with Shikamaru for the time being, considering this was the only place the FCA couldn't find me.

"I never get tired of that," I grinned at Shika as he pushed open the door and walked into the lab.

"The smallest magic tricks impress you," he replied dryly and yanked the officially hysterical gremlin through the door. The moment the lyrical lunatic saw the lab, it figured it wasn't going to end up in one piece by the end of tonight.

"Wicked place! Smells misplaced!

Filled with magic of a different pace!

You, one of such a wicked race!

Let me go! I'll leave in haste!"

The gremlin foamed at the mouth, clawing at the ground ferociously as he chattered off.

"For the love of," I groaned as I pried the brownie's claws off the door hinges. "We just need a tooth. Once we get that, we'll let you go."

Shika raised a brow at me and corrected, "But I could us the rest of its body in many different potions. The eyes of fae can be used to make a cure for headaches. Trust me. It's much better than any aspirin. Or its fingers can be-"

And there you go. The brownie went ape shit, cutting Shika off with wild screams.

"Could you be any more insensitive?" I slapped my hand to my forehead as the gremlin dug its claws deeper into the door frame. It was clamped on their tighter than a vice.

"Fine, I'll relent," Shika's dull eyes gazed down at the brownie as he said in his best I'm-not-_necessarily_-going-to-hurt-you voice. "Just one tooth and then, you may go cause this dimension more unspeakable mayhem. My friend here, the one with the soul, just happens to care whether or not I dismember you. Strange as that may be, he is the one who probably knows better."

Ever since Shika lost his soul, he's left it up to the people around him to decide whether or not something was right or wrong. So far, that's kept him human. Kept him Shika.

"Well, that was heartwarming," I mocked as the gremlin continued its raving. Finally, I decided it was _right_ to knock the fae out. With one fluid chop to the back of its head, the bellowing ceased.

"And I thought I was the one without a soul," Shika needled as he dragged the unconscious fae into the lab.

See what I've been up to the past six months? I've been helping Shikamaru gather ingredients for his latest spells. I'm not really proud of my actions, but I didn't really feel like I had a choice. Ever since….

I glared down at the floor, squashing the thought, as I stepped over the gremlin's limp body and into the lab. It was a large circular room, surrounded by dozens of doors leading to different dimensions. What better way to save space, right? Each door led to a different dimensional room with more of Shika's equipment and or specimens. He couldn't fit all his crazy in just one reality. The main room was my safety zone. I didn't touch or even go near any of the other doors. Better safe than sorry.

I plopped down on a large red couch positioned in the middle of the room. An enormous flat screen TV floated in the air before me. I left some ridiculous cartoon on before Shika and I left to snatch a fae and the wild antics of my favorite imaginary characters were still in full swing. I didn't question how the TV was suspended in midair or why there was a vase of perpetually red roses floating on side of the coach. Things were screwy here. Things can fly and some flowers never wilt.

Fun right?

"Cartoons numb the brain," Shika said as he dropped the fae's body on the coffee table before me. "Make yourself useful." He handed me a pair of torturous looking tweezers and placed his hands on his hips tiredly. "Now, where has that girl run off to?"

"Just because she's dead doesn't mean she doesn't have a life outside of the lab," I grinned and leaned over to pry open the gremlin's mouth. I was greeted with an awful case of spoiled milk breath.

"The key word here is 'dead.' As in _no life_. She shouldn't leave the lab without telling me where she's going. Imagine what would happen if the FCA saw one of their late students cavorting about? They'd have to take down that lovely memorial plaque at Head Quarters. And I would be number one on their hit list." Shika leaned back, cracking his spine as he sighed. "How I ever loved that girl, I'll never know."

"When you get your soul back, you'll remember," a familiar and excessively annoyed voice came from behind. I turned to see Temari, a lively young women with light, blonde hair, step out of a dark green door. A large red tentacle with pink suckers slithered out from the darkness behind her. Temari glared down at the slinking mass and stepped on the limb with vicious force. The tentacle snapped back into the void as a high pitched hiss dissipated in the distance. See! That's exactly why I don't go near the doors. Who knows what you'll find behind them.

"You should feed that kraken more often," Temari scoffed, slamming the door behind her. "He's getting antsy."

Shikamaru shot her an unimpressed roll of the eyes and asked, "What were you doing playing with the kraken anyway? Got bored, did you?"

"I'm always bored hanging around this dump," She huffed and stared down at me with dark teal eyes. "What are you doing playing in a fairy's mouth?" She raised a single brow and shook her head. "Never mind, I don't want to know. And, _Dear_, I was extracting some ink from the kraken." With a grimace she pulled out a small glass container filled with black liquid. "You have no idea how hard that was."

"Why?" Shika asked bluntly. He knew the answer most likely. I could see the fight coming on. It was like watching a soap opera with these two.

She glared at him. "For a spell of course. To get your soul back or have you forgotten we were supposed to be working on that?"

And here we go.

"What if I don't want it back?" Shika said the dreaded words. _Idiot_.

"Say that again and I'll feed you to the kraken," Temari threatened, snatching Shika's collar and pulling him close to glare furiously into his eyes.

Hm. I feel like I'm forgetting to say something. Oh yeah. Temari is, you guessed it, _dead_. She's that love of Shikamaru's that died during a mock mission a few years back when we were all students at the FCA. Shikamaru, at the time, didn't accept her death.

So, he took it upon himself to bring her back.

"For a golem, you sure are," I snickered, "_lively_." I grinned at Temari as she tossed Shika to the side with a sneer.

Temari was a golem now, technically an undead monster made of clay and grave soil. After dying, Shikamaru sold his soul in order to practice alchemy and other forms of magic. He created a clay mold and transferred Temari's soul into the artificial body. Now, here they are a few years later. Although, I wouldn't say things are going smoothly. Temari's been searching for ways to bring Shika's soul back, while Shika doesn't really give a flying fuck.

Hm. Is that it? Yeah…I think so. I inwardly sighed. I've been a tad bit…_off_ these past few months.

"More dead jokes, Naruto? Really?" Temari sighed and walked around the coach to slump down next to me. She nudged the unconscious fae with the tip of her shoe distastefully. "What's this for anyway?"

"I need the tooth of a fae for my latest experiment," Shika answered as he came around to lean over the gremlin. Snatching the tweezers out of my hand, he positioned the tool around one of the gremlin's molars and clamped down hard to rip the tooth out. It was like watching him pull a carrot out of the ground. Except with blood. And, oh great. The gremlin screamed and was wide awake, running frantically around the lab, knocking over metal tables and equipment as it cuddled its swelling cheek.

"Someone get that, please," Shikamaru sighed as he examined the tooth.

Temari and I stared at one another. "I'm not getting it," she replied dryly.

I sighed. "What am I, your maid?"

"No, you're our hobo friend with no job and you're the thing that keeps eating everything in my fridge in the middle of the night," Shika said as he walked over to a metal table to pull out several vials and tubes filled with precarious, glowing fluids.

"Aw, I'm glad you consider me a friend," I mocked and stood up reluctantly to go retrieve the gremlin.

I found it lodged between two filling cabinets, curled up and hugging its legs.

"Hey," I said softly as I squatted down to the stare at the gremlin shivering in the dark. I was ignored. The fae simply rubbed his cheek and hissed. "Come on out. I'll take you back to that old, abandoned warehouse you liked so much," the corner of my lip turned upward, showing the lightest of smiles, " I'll take you home."

The gremlin looked up at me, electric blue eyes brimming with tears. When I reached to grab the fae, it slapped my hand away and cursed in some strange language. I didn't understand what it meant, but you can tell when someone's cursing you.

"I mean it," I stressed. "I'm just as much of a monster as you. Read my mind if you have to. I'm not lying."

I felt the itch in the back of my head as the gremlin scanned my brain.

"_Home_," it rasped. No annoying poems. Just one breathless sigh of relief as it jumped into my arms and curled against my chest.

Don't judge me.

I use to consider the supernatural…well, unnatural. I looked at creatures like the fae as if they were aliens from a different planet (although they are technically from a different dimension), but how could I do that now? People say I'm a kind person, that I'm "understanding". You know, a _good guy_. And hey, it was true. I always tried to help out my fellow man. I'm a regular boy scout with all the charm of a scruffy sewer rat.

I want to stay the good guy and I can't be that guy if I don't fess up to what I am. I'm a monster. I have to be, considering everything. So, being the good guy meant helping my fellow non-homicidal, if not annoying, supernatural brethren. Think about it. I'm spewing fox fire for the love of—I sighed deeply and narrowed my eyes to stare at the ground as I walked over to Shika and Temari. I couldn't help but blush as they stared at my new cuddle buddy.

"You've made a rather abnormal friend," Shika commented as he raised a brow curiously.

The gremlin hissed protectively and nuzzled its head back into my shoulder. Ok, someone was getting a little too touchy.

"Shut it and teleport me to the warehouse. I can sneak back on my own without getting caught, but its better if I don't risk being out there longer than I need to."

Being on the run meant being practical. That was me now. Naruto Uzumaki, the practical, monster-friendly good guy. Try fitting that on a name tag.

"You sure?" Shika cracked a rather malicious smirk. "Last time I teleported you, you said you tasted the color purple for three days."

"What does the color purple taste like, Naruto?" Temari teased, not missing a beat.

"You two are a match made in hell," I grumbled. Temari's teal eyes brightened with devilish pride as Shika simply huffed. "And purple tastes delicious, like dark chocolate with raspberry filling."

It was true. Being teleported had its side effects and the color purple does taste like rich chocolate. One time Shika grew a deer tail. I remember seeing him wag the little white, folded puff in astonishment. That was the first time I cracked a smile and actually laughed since I quit the FCA. It was one of my brighter days. The ache in my chest and the heaviness in my heart got better each day ever since then. Lighter, bit by bit. It was a slow process, healing my shattered heart, but at least it was healing in the first place. Or do I just want to pretend I'm healing?

Who knows? Make that judgment for yourself, because I'm not.

"Brace yourself," Shika sighed and with a wave of his hand I was gone and reformed again. I was broken down, vaporized painlessly and then poof. Here I was, fully intact if not somewhat more disturbed.

Damn it, I was seeing in black and white as I stared at the debilitated warehouse before me. Shimmering gray flecks sputtered around me and faded against the wet cement as I trudged forward in the dimness of night. Everything was in gray scale. You gotta love the wacky side effects of teleportation. I wondered how long it would be before my dog vision would go away.

I sighed deeply and glanced down at the gremlin, seemingly unaffected and unimpressed by the sudden teleportation. I guess fairy folk didn't mind things like this, although I did notice it suddenly baring a tail. It flicked back and forth excitedly as I opened the back door of the warehouse and placed the fae on the ground.

"Happy?" I asked and slumped against the wall near the entrance. The plaster felt cool against my back. The fae turned to me, flashing a rather creepy grin. Yeah, he was happy.

"Some say, when helping a fae

Good things will come your way,"

Great, here we go again. The gremlin bounced back and forth, dancing as it recited.

"So, some information I will give

So maybe you will try and live."

"I'm not suicidal," I grumbled cutting off the gremlin. It waved one long, clawed finger as its toothy grin widened. I guess my way of life lately couldn't be considered '_living_.'

"Something inside you, angry and torn

Wishing with fury to be reborn"

_Wait_, I thought, suddenly filled with someone else's anger. My stomach was burning, that familiar sensation rising up into my chest and to my fingertips.

"The life you'll live with be nothing but drama

For deep within is sealed-"

_No, stop_.

"The Kyuubi, the fox king _Kurama_—"

My body began to tighten as I inwardly fought to warn the fae of the fire forcing its way from within, but my mouth couldn't open. Something, no, _someone_ was keeping me silent.

"NO!" I screamed as my arm shot up against my will. Flames burst forth from my hand and engulfed the gremlin. It was too late. Before the fae could even scream, it was reduced to smoldering ash. "Damn it, Kurama!" I yelled. My knees buckled as I slammed my back against the wall and slid down to the floor. I knocked my head against the plaster with enough force to shake the foundation and groaned as the fae's ashes scattered in the air, thrown up by the light breeze entering through the warehouse door.

I knew who was sealed inside me already. The poor bastard didn't need to tell me. Digging around past my mind and into the Yokai's within did nothing but get the gremlin burnt to a crisp.

_**I like my privacy. Excuse me for getting a little flustered. I don't appreciate creatures of the fairy world sneaking peeks into my mind. **_

"You didn't have to do that though. The little guy was harmless. It was just trying to help me out," I breathed and dipped my chin to my chest. For the past six months I've been getting to know the creature sealed within me. But Kurama has no intention of revealing why he was sealed away or exactly who he is. So, I decided to ignore Kurama the best I could. But how could I ignore him now?

He's getting stronger. Strong enough to take over my body.

_**You seem more resigned than usual. **_

"I'm tired," I sighed and pressed my forehead to my palm. I rubbed my face hard enough to make my skin red.

_**You're such an annoying vessel. Tired, you say? I'm a king, a monster to monsters, the most powerful Kitsune that has ever lived, yet I'm trapped inside a nineteen year old brat. So, don't complain to me. I'm not your therapist.**_

"Pompous old fox," I sneered and slammed the door shut within my mind, silencing Kurama for now. Sometimes I could focus and actually see the metal door, the chains, rusted and ancient holding back a fearsome force. That force is an extremely powerful nine-tailed Kitsune named Kyuubi or better yet, Kurama.

Kitsune are fox Yokai and are the number one monster on the FCA's hit list. Kill on sight. No questions asked. Why the king of these powerful creatures is inside me, I don't know. I just tried to focus on what I did know about the tricky beast. Kitsune are smart and live in large, organized communities. Their number one goal in life is simple: Destroy mankind.

_**Bullshit.**_

The door I shut was ripped open with vicious force. I jumped to my feet, my head swooning as Kurama roared. Stumbling out of the warehouse, I collapsed against the bricks outside, curling in on myself as I writhed on the ground. I ground my teeth as I hugged my stomach. Everything burned as Kurama's flames rose higher and higher.

Ha. Burning your enemies in a living pier? That gremlin was right. Feeling the flames now, I could tell they were alive.

_**My kind has lived on this earth longer than any human! I watched as your worthless species first crawled out of the ocean, feeble and weak. If I wanted humans destroyed do you think you'd still be here, you whelp?! There are many things your precious FCA has failed to tell you…and one day, Naruto…**_

_**The world will know the truth.**_

The flames dimmed. Kurama released my body from his fiery grip. Red, slender eyes glared from within as the door slowly shut. I gasped, sucking in the cool air around me, filling my lungs. The fire didn't hurt. Not really. It was just pressure, tons and tons of it. The burn was there, inside me, all around me, pushing my body down with impossible strength. As the flames dissipated within, I slowly sat up. Breathe in. Breathe out. _Slowly_, I told myself.

You're ok, I inwardly murmured. _You're ok._

But hell, I wasn't ok. I knew that. Trying to convince myself otherwise seemed stupid. I sighed the heaviest of sighs and sat up. Leaning back against the warehouse, I angled my head towards the sky. Barely any stars in the city, but that's fine with me. All I needed to see was the moon. It hung in the blackened sky, lean and curled, like the most malicious of grins. Sometimes, if I stared at the moon long enough, I felt small. _Insignificant_. And somehow that made me feel better, like it didn't matter what happened to me.

Like nothing mattered.

A droplet of water fell from above and landed on the tip of my nose. Then another and then another, till the entire night sky rained down on me. Heavy and cold. I didn't want to move. The rain felt nice as it chilled me to the bone.

Suddenly, my mind began to drift…

I wondered what she was doing right now. Was she caught in the rain like me? Was she inside somewhere, dry and warm? Was she happy? Did she miss me? Stupid questions.

So, I shoved the thoughts down and closed my eyes.

Because hey, nothing mattered, so neither did she.

* * *

**(Sakura)**

_Everything_ mattered at this point. A single, worthless clue even counted in my eyes. I'm desperate, what can I say?

And I'm angry. Angrier than I've ever been.

"Idiot!" I cursed, sending my leg flying to land against the sand bag hanging from the gym ceiling on a thick iron chain. "Idiot!" I repeated even louder. Another kick. Then another. And then Another. The bag was swinging back and forth, chains rattling as I throttled it with all my strength.

"You're going to break it if you keep that up," a deep, flippant voice said from behind.

"It's not like it isn't the first one she's destroyed," another voice replied, just as deep, just as flippant if not more familiar. Sasuke and Sai were sitting on some workout equipment behind me, watching my outburst with unimpressed eyes.

Sai is Team Seven's new member, considering someone…._Idiot_, I snapped inwardly, cutting the thought off. I punched the bag, my fist sinking into the thick leather with vicious force.

Where was I? Oh, yes, our new teammate.

Sai is a lanky boy with black hair, which only makes his paper white complexion look even paler. He's a special agent of the Anbu Black Ops, temporarily on leave to fill in for Team Seven's missing member. The Anbu is a secretive faction of the FCA that strictly focuses on missions of dire priority. You wouldn't believe how many times the world almost comes to an end simply because a high level monster has a temper tantrum. The Anbu is like the FCA's apocalypse police.

Why are these agents so special though? What makes them different from the rest of us? Simple. Each member of the Anbu are what you'd call half-souls. Before anyone can be accepted into the Anbu, their soul is wiped of emotions, making the agents focused on nothing but the mission. Live for the mission. _Die_ for the mission. That's what it took to save the world on a regular basis. Emotions would only get in the way. Sai is no exception. He could pretend all he wanted, that fake smile prevalent on his face, but no. He couldn't fool me.

Sai was assigned to Sasuke and I about six months ago, only a week after that _idiot_ disappeared. I didn't like Sai at first. He was strange to say the least. It was understandable considering he is a half-soul. But even then, somehow, he grew on me.

I inwardly sighed.

Having two dead pan teammates around constantly was something I still hadn't gotten used to though. That loud, obnoxious part of Team 7 was off hiding.

"Why haven't we found a single clue?" I asked venomously as I jabbed a knee into the sand bag with a loud, meaty thud.

"Naruto Uzumaki is rather good at hiding," Sai answered dryly. "which is odd considering his lack of general skills."

My eye twitched. Sai has a bad habit of insulting people like he's talking about something as simple as the weather outside, which was crappy by the way. It was raining hard, storming in the dead of night.

"Have the Inuzuka's found _anything_?" I stressed and stopped the swinging sand bag with a flattened palm.

Head Quarters is desperate to find Naruto after he just up and disappeared six months ago. The Inuzuka Gang was even hired, hoping that maybe their assortment of demon canines could sniff out a trail. It's been three weeks since we hired the gang and what did we have to show for it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"No, if they had anything I doubt they'd tell us anyway," Sasuke began as he rose to his feet. "You said Kiba Inuzuka, the gang's leader, is a friend of Naruto's. I bet Kiba is helping Naruto hide. If anything, the gang is throwing us _off_ his trail."

It was true. Kiba helped Naruto and I a few years back find Sasuke after he disappeared. Difference is, Sasuke was missing for three days. Naruto's been missing for half a year.

_Is he really missing though? Someone who just runs away of their own free will isn't missing. They're just…gone. _

I clenched my fist and sent a furious round house kick cutting the air to land against the sand bag. The leather burst from the sheer force and poured grainy, brown sand over my leg and all over the gym floor.

"And there goes another. How many is that now? Four this month?" I turned to see Sai smiling lightly. The smile didn't reach his eyes as he continued dryly. "We should invest in studier equipment."

"We should invest in larger search parties," I replied curtly and folded my arms. With nothing else to pummel, I relented and resorted to imagining myself tearing everything in the gym to shreds. Anger management 101, right?

"We should head home. It's late and we're not making much progress just sitting around," Sasuke said as he placed a hand on my shoulder. He was trying, in his own way, to be comforting. The random slivers of physical contact was his way of 'connecting' I guess. With a heavy sigh, I turned to walk out of the gym. Sasuke trying to comfort me would have made me…well, happy, but for some reason nothing, _absolutely nothing_, seemed to console me. I was so angry. So frustrated. So confused.

Why? Why did I always expect to turn around and see him there? When did he become such a huge and immovable part of my life? Maybe the very moment I met him…I never noticed how much I relied on Naruto. He's always been there, but now he's…_IDIOT_! I screamed inwardly and groaned underneath my breath. I needed to stop. This was stupid. Right?

Right?

Sasuke and Sai followed quietly -So, damn _quietly_- as the three of us stepped into the cold night air. The rain hadn't let up, pouring down as if the sky itself slit open like the sand bag. I grabbed my umbrella from the front door and popped it open.

I pondered as I walked in the rain….what was he doing right now? Was he safe? Was he eating right? He can't survive on ramen no matter how he'd argue otherwise.

I miss him.

I clenched the handle of my umbrella tightly and glared at the ground. The house, _our_ house, was too quiet with him gone. Sasuke and Sai kept it clean and silent in a way that made it feel like no one lived there at all.

My lips pressed together into a hard line. I missed the dumbest things about Naruto. I miss tripping over his dirty shirts in the middle of the night, because he's too lazy to throw it in the laundry basket. Weird, I know. I miss finding him sprawled out on the couch, sleeping like the crazy world we lived in wasn't filled with monsters. So carefree. I miss the _noise_. The chaos he brought into my life. The goofy grins. His bright blue eyes.

His light.

_My_ light.

_Oh_, I inwardly gasped and slapped a hand to my forehead. Naruto needed to come back before I lost my whole damn mind.

* * *

**(Naruto)**

_Shit!_

My feet slammed against the concrete, kicking dirty water up as I sprinted through the rain. I could hear the countless paws padding against the ground right behind me, snarls echoing throughout the allies.

I knew the FCA was desperate to find me and probably more desperate to find Kurama. The Inuzuka gang was even hired to track my sorry ass down. I had a sick feeling that the reason Kurama was sealed inside me had something to do with why the FCA took an orphan like me in. The agency isn't a charity. I always wondered why I was given a home at HQ. It was starting to make sense once I began talking to the nine-tailed Kitsune.

Think about it. What do you do when a monster is too strong to kill?

Lock it up.

"Damn it," I cursed as I came to a dead end, blocked by a thick brick wall towering high above me. I should have known better. Downtown was my playground and I managed to get cornered in it. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

I turned on my heels and stared down the dozen or so fiery eyes glaring at me through the dimness of night, claws clicking against the ground as the demonic dogs approached with caution. Akamaru, Kiba's personal canine partner, led the way with his enormous white fangs bared ferociously. Yeah, Akamaru grew. A lot. He wasn't the endearing little pup anymore. He's about the size of a full grown pony with an arsenal of teeth and claws that'd make a griffon turn tail and run.

"Hey, Akamaru, how ya been?" I smiled and laughed nervously as the growling beast grew closer and closer.

"We've been _pissed_," a gruff voice replied. Kiba Inuzuka, oh thank heavens, came trudging out of the darkness appearing behind his partner with a scowl on his face. "How many times do we have to play this stupid game of cat and mouse before you decide to go home?"

"Ha," I grinned, "I thought you guys were serious that time. Almost gave me a heart attack."

"_Naruto_," Kiba stressed, humor completely absent from his sharp black eyes. "The FCA is catching on. We can't keep helping you like this. Whatever happened that made you run away in the first place—GET OVER IT." Kiba's eyes narrowed as he walked over to me and grabbed my shoulder. "Why the hell can't you just go home?"

I slapped his hand away and replied, "Because I can't, ok? Just trust me when I say I don't really have a choice."

"Don't have a choice?" Kiba scoffed. "Really? The FCA has no intention of harming you, from what I can tell, so what are you so afraid of?"

_I'm not afraid anyone's going to harm me_, I thought disdainfully.

"Kiba," I inhaled deeply, turned away and pinched the bridge of my nose as I tried to explain myself. "I just can't." Not my most eloquent explanation, but hey, it would have to do.

Kiba's eyes darkened. "I didn't want to pull this card, but Naruto," he snatched my arm and turned me around hard. His gaze bore into mine. "Something is happening with Sakura."

My heart sank.

I stared Kiba down, my gaze suddenly focused for the first time in almost six months.

"What do you mean?" I pressed forward, intense and somewhat…well, terrified.

"She's been coming to the dog salon every day. Sometimes twice a day. She's going mad trying to find you," Kiba sighed deeply and rubbed his face hard. He looked exhausted. "And Sasuke, that Uchiha kid, he's figured it out already. That guy is smart. He came to me yesterday. He knows the gang is helping you hide from HQ."

"And?" I stressed.

Kiba's eyes darkened. "He told me to give you a message. He said, 'Sakura hasn't slept right in months. She's experiencing severe side effects of the possession,' whatever that means."

My eyes widened in shock and utter dismay. Sakura was _still_ suffering? Being possessed has its side effects. Night terrors. Hallucinations. Severe flashbacks. But all of that fades away after a few days. I'm sure she was purified and taken care of at HQ. She should be fine…unless…

She's too stressed out to heal properly. So, was this my fault?

Kiba's shot his hand out to grab me before I fell as my legs went limp. My knees buckled as I leaned against Kiba's shoulder for support.

"Woah, woah, Naruto, calm down," Kiba urged as he pushed me to my feet. I stumbled but held my ground, pressing the palm of my hand to my forehead.

"Did—did he say anything else?" I murmured.

Kiba's eyes filled with concern as he replied, "Yeah. One last thing…"

"Come home, Loser."

* * *

**(Sakura)**

"Come home," I cried, my voice softer than a whisper. My throat was dry and cracked. Something didn't feel right. I couldn't see anything. Darkness enveloped me like deep, black smog. It smelled of wax and smoke. Even so, all I could think about was Naruto. "Come home," I repeated, my teeth clenched tight.

I needed him. Something was wrong. Something was _horribly_ wrong and, for some reason, he was the only one I could think of. Save me, Naruto. Naruto. Naruto.

_Please_.

Suddenly, the smog separated as someone stepped out of the thick smoke. My eyes widened as my heart fluttered with hope. Naruto walked towards me, a strange, unfamiliar smirk on his face.

"Naruto," I sighed in a moment of brief relief. As he came closer and closer, my chest constricted with…fear? I don't know why but I was suddenly afraid. Something wasn't right about him.

My sight focused and I saw Naruto's eyes glisten with malicious glee. His eyes…they…they were

**…violet.**

I screamed. My body thrashed as the darkness swallowed me whole. A familiar voice cried my name.

"Sakura! Sakura!"

But I couldn't. I just _couldn't_.

_Naruto, save me. Naruto!_

"Naruto!" I yelled. My eyes flashed open to see Sasuke above me, his hands clasping my shoulders as he shook me. I was lying in my bed, tears streaming down my face and onto my already soaked pillow. I calmed and placed my hand on Sasuke's chest, making sure he was real. "What happened?" I asked quietly.

"Another nightmare," he answered with a deep sigh, sat up and placed his chin in his hand as he rested his elbow on his raised knee. "They're getting worse, aren't they?" He glanced down at me through the dimness of my room, his black eyes gleaming. I couldn't help but think he looked incredibly handsome dressed in a loose fitting, white button up and a pair of boxers. His pale skin looked like porcelain, polished and refined. But…that was it. Nothing fluttered within me. Sasuke Uchiha was in my bed, checking up on me, waking me up from my night terrors. In a way, he was saving me…

So, why wasn't I happy? Why wasn't I…_alright_?

"I'm not sure," I mumbled in reply as I sat up in bed, pressing my back to the head board. My muscles felt so sore. My tired eyes shifted to the alarm clock on my night stand. Bright red numbers told me it was 4:00 am…Great. I got one hour of sleep. I inwardly groaned. How many hours did that make this week? Five? Maybe? My brain felt like mush. These past few months have been hell. I can't sleep. I can't think straight. I can't even do my job as an agent properly anymore. The hallucinations were getting worse, more vivid and real. Yesterday, I could have sworn I saw an elephant lumbering through the halls at HQ.

"You should go back to HQ's hospital. Get purified again. You said it helped some last time," Sasuke suggested.

"I've been purified how many times this month?" I laughed, though all humor was absent from my voice.

"Sakura, you were possessed by one of the most powerful spirits this world has ever seen. This process of healing will take time," the Uchiha pressed, his eyes boring into mine. "You should be purified daily until the side effects wear off."

I sighed deeply. "Sasuke, I know what I need. I don't know why, but I need Naruto to come home. Once he's back, I'll feel…I don't know. I'll feel right again."

Sasuke's eyes suddenly lit up. He looked…amused. With a light smile gracing his lips, he replied,

"We'll find him or better yet, after today, he should find us." His smiled widened slightly with devilish pride. My eyes narrowed at the Uchiha suspiciously.

"What did you do, Sasuke?" I asked sternly.

"Nothing, really. Just set the bait. Now, we wait for the fish to take a bite," Sasuke's black eye glistened wickedly as he rose to his feet. "Now, try to go back to bed. I'm going out to check the line I set."

My brows furrowed with worry as Sasuke began to walk out of my room.

"Sasuke," I called, my voice filled with concern, "Please, don't do anything crazy."

* * *

**(Naruto)**

"You're crazy," Shikamaru said bluntly as I pulled a black hood over to cover my face. Temari nodded in agreement as I shoved on a pair of equally black gloves onto my hands.

"I just want to check on her," I replied quickly. "Sasuke told Kiba that Sakura is suffering from the side effects of the possession still. I need to make sure she's ok."

"And what? You really think Sasuke told the truth?" Shika sighed with frustration. "I don't really care if you get caught. Honestly, you're stupidity simply annoys me. Sasuke probably told Kiba that sob story knowing you would take the bait and come running home."

"I'm not 'running home,'" I grumbled. "I'm just going to sneak into her window and see if she's ok."

Temari laughed. "Really? Naruto, the sun's about to come up. Come on now. You can't possibly believe you're capable of that. Sasuke is probably waiting for you. Hell, Sakura is probably in on it too."

"None of that matters," I snapped and glared at the couple. "I need to do this."

"Well, fine then," Shika scoffed. "Go and if you manage to accomplish this impossible task, don't you _dare_ allow anyone to follow you back to the lab. If anything, I should forbid you from returning." Shika groaned loudly and shook his head. "I swear," he addressed Temari, throwing up his hands. "He's going to bring the entire FCA raining down on me. I just know it."

"Shikamaru," Temari smiled lightly, "Everything will be fine. Naruto," she glared at me, "Shikamaru is my number one priority. If you put him in danger by allowing anyone to follow you back, I'll personally feed you to the kraken. Understand?"

I nodded quickly. She would totally throw my ass to the kraken. "You two are such good friends," I mocked. "I'll be back in an hour. I'm just going to sneak a peek, ok? So, stop worrying."

I had to hurry. It was 4:00 am. They sun would be coming up soon. Though, my two former teammates were never morning people. Chances are they would still be asleep for another two hours. Plenty of time, I tried to convince myself.

I clenched my fist, determined, as I ran out the lab and into the fading night.

Sakura, please…please be ok.

* * *

**(Sakura)**

I had to admit it…I'm not ok.

I tried going back to sleep, but obviously, that didn't work. I could still feel the nightmare slithering in the back of my mind. It was the most vivid one yet and the oddest one as well. Usually, I'd dream of the Itsumaden's memories filled with starving people and surrounded by a decrepit, decaying village.

But this time, I saw Naruto. He was there, walking towards me, but I knew…That wasn't really him. It wasn't _my_ Naruto. It was someone else, someone…evil? Those big violet eyes filled with devilish glee seemed to bore right into my very soul. _Hungry_. _Wicked_. And somehow, _ancient_.

It was terrifying.

I stared down at the coffee table as I curled up in a bundle of blankets on the couch. My eyes seemed to drift as my vision followed the wrinkles and grains in the wood. Dazing out seemed to be my new thing. I couldn't focus anymore. Lack of sleep and a diet of coffee were only making my situation worse.

I'm so pathetic. I should be over the possession by now, no matter what Sasuke says.

_Enough_, I told myself. I need sleep. So, I closed my eyes and focused on the only thing that seemed to bring me peace.

I imagined Naruto smiling at me, his bright blue eye shining brightly as we sat beside each other. A cool, glistening river flowed at our feet as we discussed our first mission's success. Sasuke was off, somewhere, disposing a Kappa's body in a field to dry. Naruto's hand was wrapped around mine and for some reason, I squeezed back. It felt natural. It felt _right_.

"I love you," he whispered.

What? No, he didn't say that.

"I love you," he repeated. "I love you." Again and again, he told me. My heart started to race, faster and faster. The memory of our first mission began to fade.

Suddenly, I was standing in the middle of a village square, surrounded by the terrors of the Itsumaden's nightmare. But, I wasn't afraid. I wasn't alone…

Naruto was there, holding me tight. "I love you."

"I've always loved you," he pressed his lips to my ear. His breath was hot as it brushed against my skin, leaving blushing heat as he trailed down my neck. "Do you feel that?" he asked. "I'm burning up like a madman being this close to you. You make my heart beat so fast, I feel like it's about to burst. Sakura, this is _real_."

_No._

He grabbed my hand and pressed it to his chest. A deep pulse echoed through my palm. "Feel my heart pounding? See? I would never abandon you. I would never leave you in this horrible place. I love you, Sakura. I love you."

_This is...real._

Tears began flowing down my cheeks. With a flash my eyes opened wide to see I was still sitting on the couch.

I must have dozed off, but…that _dream_. I curled up, hugging my legs to my chest. It felt so real. My heart was still racing, pounding loudly in my chest.

"What's happening to me?" I murmured as more tears coursed down my face.

"Naruto," my voice cracked as I said his name.

"Come home_._"

* * *

Author's Notes:

AGH! FOR SOME REASON I CAN'T THINK. I HAVE WRITER'S BLOCK! Someone…hit me over the head with a brick! I'm extremely sorry if this chapter feels rushed and or sucks.

: (

Thanks for reading! I'll try to put out another chapter later this week. Please review and thanks again! DX


End file.
